The westernmost member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
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
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
Behar–Bechukotai 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
Tazria and Tzaraʻat
Parshat Tazria Drash by Alexander Fellman
Good Shabbos, all. I’d like to start, as is my custom, with a little story: There is a council of Rabbis meeting, discussing a matter pertaining to the ritual impurity of an oven under… Continue reading
Seder Symphony
via Arnie Warshawsky
Civil War Seder
From Mark Gottdiener, PhD
When I taught my course on “American Jews” I often asked– “Can you imagine Jews fighting and killing each other during a war?” They couldn’t.
Civil War is famous for such an event. So is WWI… Continue reading
Dancing to Praise God
Haftorah Commentary for Sh’mini by Stan Satz
In the Torah, the most familiar example of dancing to praise God is found in Exodus Chapter 15 verse 20: Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses, choreographs and orchestrates the… Continue reading
- Harvard president apologizes, Penn alum yanks $100M gift as congressional antisemitism hearing fallout continuesThe donor, Ross Stevens, said he would reconsider his decision if there is a leadership change at Penn. -- The post Harvard president apologizes, Penn alum yanks $100M gift as congressional antisemitism hearing fallout continues appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
- US officials deny pressing Israel for a war ‘deadline,’ but differences between the two are emergingAntony Blinken decried a "gap" between what Israeli officials told him they would do, and what they are doing. -- The post US officials deny pressing Israel for a war ‘deadline,’ but differences between the two are emerging appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.