Friday December 17, 2021 – י״ג טֵבֵת תשפ״ב וַיִּשְׁלַח יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־יְמִינוֹ וַיָּשֶׁת עַל־רֹאשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וְהוּא הַצָּעִיר וְאֶת־שְׂמֹאלוֹ עַל־רֹאשׁ מְנַשֶּׁה שִׂכֵּל אֶת־יָדָיו כִּי מְנַשֶּׁה הַבְּכוֹר׃ “But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head—thus crossing his hands—although Manasseh was the […]
Friday December 10, 2021 – ו׳ טֵבֵת תשפ״ב – Parashat Vayigash By Josh Weinberg At a public high school in a major North American city, a student hung a flyer on a student-led social justice board in the hallway. “Free Palestine” it read and boasted a picture of a Palestinian flag. No context, no explanation, […]
Friday December 3, 2021 – כ״ט כִּסְלֵו תשפ״ב וַיַּ֜עַן וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלַי֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר זֶ֚ה דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר לֹ֤א בְחַ֙יִל֙ וְלֹ֣א בְכֹ֔חַ כִּ֣י אִם־בְּרוּחִ֔י אָמַ֖ר יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ (זכריה ד:ו) Then he explained to me as follows: “This is the word of Adonai to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit—said Adonai of […]
Friday November 19, 2021 – ט״ו בכִּסְלֵו תשפ״ב וישלח תשפ”ב “וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו מַה־שְּׁמֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר יַעֲקֹֽב׃ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃” (בראשית לב:כח-כט) “…Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.” Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Yisrael, for you have striven with […]
Friday November 12, 2021 – ח׳ כִּסְלֵו תשפ״ב – Parashat Vayetze Have you heard the one about the 16-year-old high school student who shows up in Israel on a NFTY teen tour and asks her madricha: “Umm, so how do you say Tikkun Olam in Hebrew?” We all chuckle. And then we shift in our […]
Friday, November 5, 2021 – א׳ כִּסְלֵו תשפ״ב וַיִּגְדְּלוּ הַנְּעָרִים וַיְהִי עֵשָׂו אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ צַיִד אִישׁ שָׂדֶה וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים׃ בראשית כה:כז When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp. (Genesis 25:27) In his speech to […]
Friday October 29, 2021 – כ״ג חֶשְׁוָן תשפ״ב גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁ֥ב אָנֹכִ֖י עִמָּכֶ֑ם תְּנ֨וּ לִ֤י אֲחֻזַּת־קֶ֙בֶר֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם וְאֶקְבְּרָ֥ה מֵתִ֖י מִלְּפָנָֽי׃ “I am a resident alien among you; sell me a burial site among you, that I may remove my dead for burial.” (Genesis 23:4) Ah – to be a liberal Zionist today! The trials and tribulations […]
Friday October 22, 2021 – ט״ז חֶשְׁוָן תשפ״ב וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם גָּרֵ֛שׁ הָאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את וְאֶת־בְּנָ֑הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִירַשׁ֙ בֶּן־הָאָמָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את עִם־בְּנִ֖י עִם־יִצְחָֽק׃ וַיֵּ֧רַע הַדָּבָ֛ר מְאֹ֖ד בְּעֵינֵ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם עַ֖ל אוֹדֹ֥ת בְּנֽוֹ׃ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֗ם אַל־יֵרַ֤ע בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ עַל־הַנַּ֣עַר וְעַל־אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ כֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֛יךָ שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלָ֑הּ כִּ֣י בְיִצְחָ֔ק יִקָּרֵ֥א לְךָ֖ זָֽרַע׃ וְגַ֥ם אֶת־בֶּן־הָאָמָ֖ה לְג֣וֹי אֲשִׂימֶ֑נּוּ כִּ֥י זַרְעֲךָ֖ הֽוּא׃ […]
Friday, October 15, 2021 – ט׳ חֶשְׁוָן תשפ״ב “All journeys have secret destinations to which the traveler is unaware” ~ Martin Buber Geography Matters. Being there matters. In one of the greatest scenes in modern screenwriting, in the 1998 movie “Good Will Hunting,” Robin Williams’ character explains to Matt Damon the young mastermind, that […]
By Rabbi Josh Weinberg Friday October 8, 2021 – ב׳ חֶשְׁוָן תשפ״ב צֹ֣הַר ׀ תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה לַתֵּבָ֗ה וְאֶל־אַמָּה֙ תְּכַלֶּ֣נָּה מִלְמַ֔עְלָה וּפֶ֥תַח הַתֵּבָ֖ה בְּצִדָּ֣הּ תָּשִׂ֑ים תַּחְתִּיִּ֛ם שְׁנִיִּ֥ם וּשְׁלִשִׁ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶֽׂהָ׃ Make an opening for daylight in the ark and terminate it within a cubit of the top. Put the entrance to the ark on its side; make it […]
