Friday August 25, 2023 – ח׳ אֱלוּל תשפ”ג וְכׇל־בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי יְהֹוָה וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ׃ (ישעיהו נד:יג) And all your children shall be disciples of God, And great shall be the happiness of your children; (Isaiah 54:13 – Haftarah Shabbat Ki Teitze) אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר רִבִּי חֲנִינָא: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מַרְבִּים שָׁלום בָּעולָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: “וְכָל בָּנַיִךְ […]
Friday August 17, 2023 – א׳ אֱלוּל תשפ״ג שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכׇל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃ “You shall appoint judges and officers for your tribes, [to be stationed at] all of your gates of that your God יהוה is giving you for you to settle, and they shall govern the […]
Friday August 11, 2023 – כ״ד אָב תשפ”ג Since before its founding in 1948, Israel has been a fundamental touchstone for American Jews. For some, it served a unifying purpose, and for others, it seemed more of a nuisance. As Professor Sivan Zakai explained, “The American Jewish community’s relationship to Israel has waxed and waned […]
Friday August 4, 2023 – י״ז אָב תשפ”ג “Israel is One: The Land of Israel and the Diaspora of Israel – two that are one.” ~ Simon Rawidowicz (1949) Now that the Knesset has gone to its summer recess only to return in mid-October, and we are steadily approaching the introspection-filled months of Elul and […]
Wednesday July 26, 2023 – ח׳ אָב תשפ”ג – עֶרֶב תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב During the early days of the Yom Kippur War – which were among Israel’s darkest and bleakest – then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan uttered an exasperated defeatist sigh and said, “The Third Temple has fallen.” The existential threat that Dayan and the State […]
Friday, July 14, 2023 – כ״ה תַּמּוּז תשפ”ג וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד וְלִבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֑ן הַאַֽחֵיכֶ֗ם יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְאַתֶּ֖ם תֵּ֥שְׁבוּ פֹֽה׃ וְלָ֣מָּה (תנואון) [תְנִיא֔וּן] אֶת־לֵ֖ב בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מֵֽעֲבֹר֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן לָהֶ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה׃ (במדבר לב:ו-ז) Moses replied to the Gadites and the Reubenites, “Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here? Why will you […]
Friday July 7, 2023 – י״ח תַּמּוּז תשפ”ג This was a tough week in Israel. A swift operation in Jenin; a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv; increased settler violence against Palestinians; continued murders in the Israeli-Arab community… and we (the Reform Movement) have more teens in Israel this week than at any time in the […]
Friday June 30, 2023 – י״א תַּמּוּז תשפ”ג This week we witnessed unbridled דettler violence against Palestinians. On Saturday afternoon – yes, the seemingly Orthodox Jewish settlers allowed themselves to violate Shabbat in order to attack Palestinians. A large mob of armed settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Umm Safa. The rioters wounded several Palestinians […]
Friday, June 23, 2023 – ד׳ תַּמּוּז תשפ”ג וַיִּֽקָּהֲל֞וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֮ רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כׇל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם יְהֹוָ֑ה וּמַדּ֥וּעַ תִּֽתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל יְהֹוָֽה׃ (במדבר יז:ג) “They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and יהוה is in their […]
Friday June 16, 2023 – כ״ז סִיוָן תשפ”ג Should we, leaders and members of the North American organized Jewish community, meet with those members of Israel’s ruling coalition whose views are so beyond the pale that the majority of us find them to be abhorrent? Well, it depends. This week we learned that two […]
