Friday February 28, 2024 – ל׳ שְׁבָט תשפ”ה “את זוכרת את ההחלטה האחרונה שלנו? בממ”ד, כששאלתי אותך אם ׳נלחמים או נכנעים׳. אמרת לי ׳נלחמים׳, אז נלחמתי.” ~ירדן ביבס, בהספד על משפחתו ב- 26.02.2025 “Do you remember our last decision together? In the safe room, when I asked you, ‘Do we fight or surrender?’ You said, […]
Shekels Matter: Reform Judaism in Israel Shabbat Shekalim and Parashat Terumah March 1, 2025 – א׳ אַדָר תשפ״ה Rabbi Barry H. Block As we prepare to encourage members of our community to Vote Reform! in the upcoming World Zionist Congress election, we must prepare ourselves for some challenging conversations, particularly when we discuss the […]
Friday February 21, 2025 – כ״ג שְׁבָט תשפ”ה דּוֹדִ֥י צַח֙ וְאָד֔וֹם דָּג֖וּל מֵרְבָבָֽה׃ רֹאשׁ֖וֹ כֶּ֣תֶם פָּ֑ז קְוֻצּוֹתָיו֙ תַּלְתַּלִּ֔ים שְׁחֹר֖וֹת כָּעוֹרֵֽב׃ (שיר השירים ה:י) “My beloved is clear-skinned and ruddy, preeminent among ten thousand. His head is finest radiant gold.” (Song of Songs 5:10) The image will likely go down in history as one […]
Friday February 14, 2025 – ט״ז שְׁבָט תשפ”ה Standing Again at Sinai: Our Moment to Shape the Future. “There we were all in one place, a generation lost in space…” We stood together as an entire nation, waiting to be transformed. Our tradition teaches that all Jews—past, present, and future—stood at the foot of […]
Friday February 7, 2025 – ט׳ שְׁבָט תשפ”ה The question that will plague us for the next three years, 49 weeks, and four days is when to take President Trump seriously and when to ignore what he says. How will we know if something he announces, declares, or mentions in passing is a serious and […]
Friday, January 31, 2025 – ג׳ שְׁבָט תשפ”ה No picture is more moving than children reuniting with their parents and families after 481 days of nightmarish captivity. Yesterday (Thursday), today, and tomorrow, we will once again bear witness to frail yet persistent hostages on their way to liberation, making their way through a proverbial […]
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה רְאֵ֛ה נְתַתִּ֥יךָ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְפַרְעֹ֑ה וְאַהֲרֹ֥ן אָחִ֖יךָ יִהְיֶ֥ה נְבִיאֶֽךָ׃אַתָּ֣ה תְדַבֵּ֔ר אֵ֖ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲצַוֶּ֑ךָּ וְאַהֲרֹ֤ן אָחִ֙יךָ֙ יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וְשִׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאַרְצֽוֹ׃ (שמות ז:א-ב) “יהוה replied to Moses, “See, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh, with your brother Aaron as your prophet. You shall repeat all that I command you and […]
Friday January 17, 2025 – י״ז טֵבֵת תשפ”ה וַיָּקׇם מֶלֶךְ־חָדָשׁ עַל־מִצְרָיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַע אֶת־יוֹסֵף׃ (שמות א:ח) “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” (Exodus 1:8) In the coming days, we are going to experience an emotional roller coaster. There will be excruciating moments of torment each time there might appear to […]
Friday January 10, 2025 – י’ בטבת תשפ”ה “Men and Women will still dance with Torah scrolls in the streets of the city of Holon on the way to their new sanctuary, and despite the opposition from Shas, we will declare that from Holon comes the Torah that there is more than one way to […]
Friday January 3, 2025 – ג’ טבת תשפ”ה Two Sticks, One People וְאַתָּ֣ה בֶן־אָדָ֗ם קַח־לְךָ֙ עֵ֣ץ אֶחָ֔ד וּכְתֹ֤ב עָלָיו֙ לִֽיהוּדָ֔ה וְלִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חֲבֵרָ֑ו וּלְקַח֙ עֵ֣ץ אֶחָ֔ד וּכְת֣וֹב עָלָ֗יו לְיוֹסֵף֙ עֵ֣ץ אֶפְרַ֔יִם וְכׇל־בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חֲבֵרָֽו׃ וְקָרַ֨ב אֹתָ֜ם אֶחָ֧ד אֶל־אֶחָ֛ד לְךָ֖ לְעֵ֣ץ אֶחָ֑ד וְהָי֥וּ לַאֲחָדִ֖ים בְּיָדֶֽךָ׃ (יחזקאל “And you, O mortal, take a stick and write on […]
