The westernmost member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Becoming a Sanctuary
Pekudei Drash by Rabbi Daniel Lev – 3/16/2024
In Pekudei, the parsha this week, we learn that Moshe, Oholiav the architect and others finished building the Mishkan – the Moble Temple, also called the Mikdash, the Holy Place,… Continue reading
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
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