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 […]
Friday June 9, 2023 – כ׳ סִיוָן תשפ”ג וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה[וָאֹמַר] רָאִיתִי וְהִנֵּה מְנוֹרַת זָהָב כֻּלָּהּ וְגֻלָּהּ עַל־רֹאשָׁהּ וְשִׁבְעָה נֵרֹתֶיהָ עָלֶיהָ שִׁבְעָה וְשִׁבְעָה מוּצָקוֹת לַנֵּרוֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשָׁהּ׃ וּשְׁנַיִם זֵיתִים עָלֶיהָ אֶחָד מִימִין הַגֻּלָּה וְאֶחָד עַל־שְׂמֹאלָהּ׃ (זכריה ד:ב-ג) He said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a lampstand all […]
Friday June 2, 2023 – י״ג סִיוָן תשפ”ג “It’s simple,” exclaimed Rabbi Prof. Larry Hoffman, “Don’t be a zealot.” It was a response to a question posed[1]about believers and the fine line between being fervent, vehement, and adamant in one’s belief and practice on the one hand and not being an extremist, a radical, or […]
May 24, 2023 – ה׳ סִיוָן תשפ”ג – Erev Shavuot – ערב שבועות ויחן שם ישראל. כאיש אחד בלב אחד, אבל שאר כל החניות בתרעומות ובמחלוקת רש”י על שמות י״ט:ב׳:ב~ “And there Israel camped as one person and with one mind — but all their other encampments were made in a murmuring spirit and in […]
Friday May 19, 2023 – כ״ח אִיָיר תשפ”ג אַךְ אֶת־מַטֵּה לֵוִי לֹא תִפְקֹד וְאֶת־רֹאשָׁם לֹא תִשָּׂא בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ וְאַתָּה הַפְקֵד אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם עַל־מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת וְעַל כׇּל־כֵּלָיו וְעַל כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ הֵמָּה יִשְׂאוּ אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְאֶת־כׇּל־כֵּלָיו וְהֵם יְשָׁרְתֻהוּ וְסָבִיב לַמִּשְׁכָּן יַחֲנוּ׃ (במבדר א:מ”ט-נ’) “Do not on any account enroll the tribe of Levi or take a census of them […]
Friday May 12, 2023 –תשפ”ג כ׳ אִיָיר הַבּוֹנִים בַּחוֹמָה וְהַנֹּשְׂאִים בַּסֶּבֶל עֹמְשִׂים בְּאַחַת יָדוֹ עֹשֶׂה בַמְּלָאכָה וְאַחַת מַחֲזֶקֶת הַשָּׁלַח׃ (נחמיה ד:יא) “Those who were rebuilding the wall – The basket-carriers were burdened, doing work with one hand while the other held a weapon.” – Nehemiah 4:11 At the time of writing, rockets are falling […]
