Elvis Presley famously sang, “Home is where the heart is.” The poet Robert Frost countered, home is “the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” For the Reubenites and Gaddites in this week’s…
Torah Thoughts – Pinchas – Numbers.25.10-30.1 – “Radical Egalitarian in Judaism”
In 11th Grade, I spent the Fall semester studying at Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim in Jerusalem, Israel. There we were expected to not only attend classes, but also attend regular daily liturgical services or minyan we organized ourselves. Largely coming from…
Torah Thoughts – Korach Numbers.16.1-18.32 – “The Talmud’s Guide to Healthy Conflict”
A recent text from our Thursday night Talmud study, absolutely blew my mind. It involves a little-known rabbi named Evyatar whose decision about the necessity of requiring agents to validate bills of divorce from outside of Israel was in conflict…
Torah Thoughts – Sh’lach Numbers.13.1-15.41 – “Celebrating the Sacred in our CSS Community.”
In Hebrew, the root letters Kuf-Dalet-Shin can be used to describe Kiddish wine blessing on Friday night, the Mourner’s Kaddish memorial prayer, and Kiddushin, the Jewish wedding ceremony. What these three experiences have in common is that they are all…
Torah Thoughts – Beha’alotcha – Numbers.8.1-12.16 – “Capturing Nature in Art”
Like many of you, I am very excited about this month’s reopening of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright Knox). Inside we will finally be able to witness hundreds of pieces of artwork that had previously been in…
Torah Thoughts – Naso – Numbers.4.21-7.89 – “Jewish Pride”
In honor of the beginning of the Book of Numbers and its theme of surveying the State of the Jewish People, I presented this article at our Friday night services two weeks ago. This week’s Torah portion, Naso, picks up…
Torah Thoughts – Shavuot – “Don’t Judge a Torah by Its Cover”
This Friday, in addition to being Erev Shabbat is also Shavuot, z’man matan Torah, the holiday celebrating the receiving of Torah at Mount Sinai. Someone asked me recently what we mean when we say Torah? Torah is not only the…
Torah Thoughts – Bamidbar Numbers 1:1-4:20 – “Naming Our Numbers”
At a solemn gathering of WNY clergy last Friday in commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue, Rev. Rochelle Robinson began by reading the list of the names of the victims. Not…
Torah Thoughts – Behar-Bechukotai – Leviticus 25:1-27:34 – “Reflection on the One Year Anniversary of the Tops Tragedy
I had never envisioned writing a personal message to you, our congregants of Shir Shalom. Just like you, I am terribly troubled and feel helpless with such a tragedy right in our own city. The people living in the targeted…
Torah Thoughts – Emor – Leviticus.21.1-24.23 – “The Spoken Word”
The name of this week’s Torah portion. Emor, comes from the root of one of the common words – ויאמר (vayomer). Normally Torah portions are named after an unusual word in the few verses of the portion to help assist the…