The westernmost member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Naso Drash
by Daniel Koster
When I was growing up in the shtetl of Anatevka, Florida, the Rabbi used to go everywhere by bike. One day he came to me and cried, “Daniel, my bike has been stolen!” I said, “but Rabbi,… Continue reading
Beha’alot’cha Drash
by Donald Armstrong and Stan Satz
I planned to start preparing today’s drash on Beha’alot’cha last Sunday, with the goal of completing it before Shabbat on Friday evening. I did my research on Sunday,… Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
Eternal Flame and Sacrifice
Tetzaveh Drash by Daniel Koster
Why does God want all this? This week, God instructs the Israelites to maintain an eternal oil lamp, to construct extremely intricate (that is, expensive) robes for the priests, and to sacrifice a… Continue reading
- Another Nazi-looted Schiele painting has been returned to heirs of ‘Cabaret’ inspiration Fritz GrünbaumThe most recent owners of the Nazi-looted drawing by Egon Schiele were a prominent family of Nazi refugees in the United States. -- The post Another Nazi-looted Schiele painting has been returned to heirs of ‘Cabaret’ inspiration Fritz Grünbaum appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
- Israeli military vows to stop flow of donations to soldiers, even from their parentsAt least one nonprofit is responding to the military crackdown with defiance, pledging to cover the legal expenses of soldiers arrested for accepting donations. -- The post Israeli military vows to stop flow of donations to soldiers, even from their parents appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.