Genesis.6.9-11.32 This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Noah, lists three primary qualities a person needs to save the world: They should be righteous. They should be blameless And, they should be Godly Noah, despite all of his obvious faults – making…
Torah Thoughts – Bereishit – Genesis.1.1-6.8 – “Torah as Metaphor”
Bereishit – Genesis.1.1-6.8 As a practical tool, Torah scrolls are outdated. Books and now the World Wide Web have easily eclipsed them in accessibility and ease of use. But, Torah scrolls have one big advantage – they serve as much…
Torah Thoughts – Chayei Sarah – Genesis 23:1-25:18 – “$17 for Number 17”
Genesis 23:1-25:18 Soon after the Buffalo Bills amazing 44-34 win over the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday, we learned that their quarterback Josh Allen had just had the best game of his career with a heavy heart – his 80-year-old…
Torah Thoughts – Vayera – Genesis 18:1-22:24 – “How Wide Should We Keep Our Tent Flaps?”
Genesis 18:1-22:24 Standing in the CSS sanctuary last Friday night, for the first time in a little while, I was overcome by a sense of grief. This is a space that is meant to be open on all sides, welcoming…
Torah Thoughts – Lech LachaGenesis 12:1-17:27 – “Election 2020 BCE”
I would like to introduce you to a candidate you may or may not be that familiar with – Abraham ben Terach. He is a newcomer to the area, but has already made his presence felt. Astute politically, he has made a…
Torah Thoughts – Bereishit – “Hiking into the Unknown”
Genesis 1:1-6:8 At a certain point on the hike we took at Robert H. Treman State Park this week, my family and I had a decision to make – do we turn back or do we forge on? Looking at…
2020 5781 – Rosh Hashanah Day Congregation Shir Shalom Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein – “Finding Our Yellow Brick Road”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrLFtukxFPI[/embedyt] How many of you are here for the first time? How many of you needed your GPS or map directions to get here? How many of you felt a little disoriented pulling into the Transit-Drive-In on Rosh Hashanah?…
2020/5781 Erev Rosh Hashanah – CSS Buffalo – Rabbi AlexLazarus-Klein – “The Scarlet Rope of Hope”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-qHS8c4nrc[/embedyt]On a cool day in late August, my family and I went up to Ellicottville to Sky High Adventure Park to complete an intensive ropes course hidden in the mountains normally reserved for skiing. We knew nothing about what…
Torah Thoughts – Slichot Reflection Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein
“Getting to the Synagogue On-Time” The rabbi of the great Reform-Reconstructionist congregation in the city of Chelm was perfect in every way except for one: no matter how hard she tried, she always came late to services. And, to make…
Torah Thoughts – Nitzavim-Vayelech
Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 “Deja-Vu vs. Vuja-De” If a Deja-Vu is finding something familiar in a place that is unfamiliar, what is a Vuja-De? Finding something new in a familiar place, of course. I learned about this cool concept in a reading…