Lynley Shimat Lys

Forgiving Our Brothers

Vayehi Drash by Stan Satz

Va-y’hi: Gen. (47:28-50:26)

In Chapter 50, after Jacob, the last of the Patriarchs, dies, Joseph’s brothers are terrified that Joseph will now severely punish them for conspiring to vengefully and treacherously entomb him in a… Continue reading

From Folk Tales, History

Parasha Miketz Drash by Robert J. Littman

The Torah is a sacred history of the Jewish people from the patriarch Abraham down through the death of Moses. It is a family history of the descendants of Abraham that recounts the… Continue reading

The Character of Abraham (Lech-Lecha: Gen. 12:1-17:27)

Drash by Stan Satz

Three of the most popular and almost identical apocryphal (that is, non-Biblical) stories about Abraham are found in pre-Talmudic lore, as in the The Book of Jubilees Chapter 12, second century BCE; in the… Continue reading

Drash for Chayei Sarah

by Sandra Z. Armstrong

In the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, It is God’s faith in us that keeps us going. Abraham brought God’s words to earth. We as the people of Israel are to follow these words knowing that… Continue reading

Inside the Circle and Making Connections

Shabbat Shuva Drash by Rabbi Daniel Lev

Today is Shabbos Shuva, the Shabbat of Returning, which falls on the Shabbat before Yom Kippur. As many of you know, teshuvah is the Jewish way of returning back to a path… Continue reading

Litany of Curses and Abundant Blessings

Ki Tavo Drash by Stan Satz

A smattering of blessings but a heap of curses (all 98 of them) are specifically elaborated upon in Chapter 28 of Ki Tavo. First, Moses proclaims that if the Israelites rejoice in God’s covenant… Continue reading

Fishing Alaska

from Les Rosenthal

Foul Mixtures and Fools

Sotah Drash by Stan Satz

Naso: Numbers 4:21-7:89  

Numbers 5:11-31 contains the distasteful sotah ritual instigated by a husband who is convinced, even though there are no witnesses, that his wife has been unfaithful to him.  Sotah means… Continue reading

Written Torah, Oral Torah, and Atonement

BeharBechukotai בְּהַר-בְּחֻקֹּתַי

Drash by Daniel Koster

Blessed were the Israelites in the time of Moses, for they knew the danger. The procedure for sacrifice is to place the offering on the altar, and wait for fire to… Continue reading

Torah Leyning Class

May 23, 2023

The sweet, mellifluous sounds of Torah chanted by the children of Israel are no longer bound by time and space; no longer to be heard only on Shabbat in shul. Within the unlikely venue of Zoom has… Continue reading

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