As a teenager, Michael Jackson was top on my list of favorite artists. His album Thriller came out when I was in grade school and I remember listening to the songs play over and over at the roller-skating rink. So,…
Torah Thoughts – Korach – Numbers.16.1-18.32 – “How You Spell G-D”
Mordecai Kaplan would begin his classes at the Jewish Theological Seminary by writing God in English in the board without the dash in the middle. Inevitably one of the rabbinical students would stand up to reprimand their teacher. In response,…
Torah Thoughts – Sh’lach – Numbers.13.1-15.41 – “Championship Aspirations”
I remember when I first caught the World Cup bug. It was back in 1994, and I had just completed my Junior year at Hebrew University. Walking around Jerusalem every screen in every home and every bar was turned to…
Torah Thoughts – Beha’alotcha – Numbers 8:1-12:16 – “Between the Suns”
Bein Hashmashot, or between the suns, is Hebrew for twilight, the thin layer of light between night and day. On a recent “For Heaven’s Sake” podcast, the host Doniel Hartman declared the entire State of Israel to be caught in…
Torah Thoughts – Nasso – Numbers 4:21-7:89 – “Celebrating One Hundred Years of Scouting in WNY”
As a child I always hated packing up my sleeping bag. It was big and fluffy and somehow had to be shoved into a bag so small it could barely carry crackers. I would roll it and reroll it and…
Torah Thoughts – Shavuot – Exodus.19.1-20.23 – “I’m Not Leaving, I’m Expanding”
In a recent post on “My Jewish Learning,” by Rabbi Sara Laufer about the Book of Numbers (Thanks Bob Kanner!) she describes a comic strip by Mari Andrew featuring “two identical drawings of a woman, holding a suitcase, staring at…
Torah Thoughts – Numbers.1.1-4.20 – Bamidbar – “Choosing to Be Counted”
This Shabbat we have a very unusual double Bat Mitzvah. Shea and Bryn are two best friends who are celebrating their big day together. But that is not what makes it so unusual. What is particularly noteworthy is that each…
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Torah Thoughts – Behar-Bechukotai – Leviticus.25.1-27.34 – “The Blessing of Old Fruit”
Fruit in Israel is different than the fruit we are used to in Western New York. Instead of apples and oranges, there are thick, yellow pomelos that look from the outside like giant grapefruits, but inside are sweet and juicy. …
Torah Thoughts – Emor – Leviticus.21.1-24.23 – “Why We Need Everyone”
Synagogues of the past had clear hierarchies. The wealthy and the powerful had assigned seats up front, everyone else were relegated to the back. I felt this growing up, as our Jewish community in Philadelphia often made those who didn’t…