Friday December 22, 2023 – י׳ טֵבֵת תשפ”ד וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֧ף אֶל־אֶחָ֛יו גְּשׁוּ־נָ֥א אֵלַ֖י וַיִּגָּ֑שׁוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֲנִי֙ יוֹסֵ֣ף אֲחִיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ (בראישת מה:ד) Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come forward to me.” And when they came forward, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt. (Genesis 45:4) During a […]
Friday, December 15, 2023 – ג׳ טֵבֵת תשפ”ד Two weeks ago, I spent a week in Israel which exactly coincided with the temporary ceasefire. It was surreal, tense, and of course full of hope that each day would bring an extension. A few more hours or another day of quiet with no rocket fire […]
Friday, December 8, 2023 – כ״ה כִּסְלֵו תשפ”ד This week the world lost a giant. Rabbi Professor David Ellenson left this world too early. And he left a tremendous legacy of scholarship of his own and he raised a generation of rabbis, cantors, educators, and scholars. Having been one of the last of his ordainees, […]
December 1, 2023 – י״ח כִּסְלֵו תשפ”ד “Thank you for being here,” they said. “Thank you for showing up and showing your support, it means so much to us.” These were the words we heard from every single person we met this week. As our Reform Movement leadership delegation from North and South America made […]
By Dr. Elan Ezrachi The past week was marked with the pause of military operations and a partial return of the hostages. While the relative (though most likely short-lived) calm was felt all over, the horror stories of the returnees and the anguish over those who are still in captivity were the main motif of […]
Friday November 17, 2023 – ד׳ כִּסְלֵו תשפ”ד Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who says, “I’m not antisemitic; I’m just against Zionism?” Or “I have nothing against Jewish people per se; just don’t think they need to have a state.” Or, better yet, “Israel doesn’t need to have an ethnic-nationalism, but […]
Friday November 10, 2023 – כ״ו חֶשְׁוָן תשפ”ד (בראשית כג:ט)וְיִתֶּן־לִ֗י אֶת־מְעָרַ֤ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בִּקְצֵ֣ה שָׂדֵ֑הוּ בְּכֶ֨סֶף מָלֵ֜א יִתְּנֶ֥נָּה לִּ֛י בְּתוֹכְכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָֽבֶר׃ “Let him sell me the cave of Machpelah that he owns, which is at the edge of his land. Let him sell it to me, at the full price, for a burial […]
By Rabbi Marc Rosenstein (I am a Reform rabbi, born and raised in the US, who moved in 1990 to the Galilee, where I engaged in work to further Jewish-Palestinian dialogue. Since October 7, many friends from abroad have written to ask for my thoughts, amidst the strident public discourse on subsequent events; hence, these […]
Friday November 3, 2023 – י״ט חֶשְׁוָן תשפ”ד כִּ֣י יְדַעְתִּ֗יו לְמַ֩עַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצַוֶּ֜ה אֶת־בָּנָ֤יו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ אַחֲרָ֔יו וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט לְמַ֗עַן הָבִ֤יא יְהֹוָה֙ עַל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֖ר עָלָֽיו׃ (בראשית יח:יט) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of יהוה by doing what […]
October 27, 2023 -תשפ”ד י״ב מרחֶשְׁוָן וַ֠יִּקְח֠וּ אֶת־כׇּל־רְכֻ֨שׁ סְדֹ֧ם וַעֲמֹרָ֛ה וְאֶת־כׇּל־אׇכְלָ֖ם וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃ וַיִּקְח֨וּ אֶת־ל֧וֹט וְאֶת־רְכֻשׁ֛וֹ בֶּן־אֲחִ֥י אַבְרָ֖ם וַיֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְה֥וּא יֹשֵׁ֖ב בִּסְדֹֽם׃ וַיָּבֹא֙ הַפָּלִ֔יט וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאַבְרָ֣ם הָעִבְרִ֑י וְהוּא֩ שֹׁכֵ֨ן בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֜י מַמְרֵ֣א הָאֱמֹרִ֗י אֲחִ֤י אֶשְׁכֹּל֙ וַאֲחִ֣י עָנֵ֔ר וְהֵ֖ם בַּעֲלֵ֥י בְרִית־אַבְרָֽם׃ וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אַבְרָ֔ם כִּ֥י נִשְׁבָּ֖ה אָחִ֑יו וַיָּ֨רֶק אֶת־חֲנִיכָ֜יו יְלִידֵ֣י בֵית֗וֹ שְׁמֹנָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ וּשְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֔וֹת וַיִּרְדֹּ֖ף עַד־דָּֽן׃ וַיֵּחָלֵ֨ק עֲלֵיהֶ֧ם ׀ לַ֛יְלָה […]
