I wrote the poem. And then I rewrote it and made it worse. I thought time would heal it. Time passed. I did research: Exodus, midrash, my mother. I rewrote the poem. I ate fistfuls of soft berries. Navy lips.…
Torah Thoughts – Tzav – Leviticus.6.1-8.36 – “Keeping the Flame Going”
This week’s Torah portion, Tzav, begins with an impossible proposition – a flame that no matter the situation is never allowed to go out. The Eternal Flame or Ner Tamid the Torah speaks about must be robust enough to withstand…
Torah Thoughts – Vayikra – Leviticus 1:1-5:26 – “The Four Questions of Leviticus”
On Sunday, I had an opportunity to hear the Kindergarten through Second Grade students sing the Four Questions. The Mah Nishtanah is one of my favorite customs of the Passover Seder. Listening to the youngest members of our families provoke…
Torah Thoughts Vayakhel-Pekudei – Exodus 35:1-40:38 – “An Ode to the Purim Spielers”
Building the Tabernacle – an action we complete in this week’s double portion Vayakhel-Pekudei – is one of the holiest acts recorded in the Torah. Watching the Israelites gather from far and wide to complete this traveling sanctuary is as…
Torah Thoughts – Ki Tisa – Exodus 30:11-34:35 – “There is a Cry of War in the Camp”
When Moses makes his journey down Mount Sinai in this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa, after his forty-day communion with God, he is confused by the sounds that he hears coming from the Israelite camp. “It is not the sound…
Torah Thoughts – Tetzaveh – Exodus.27.20-30.10 – “Why Stories Matter”
This Shabbat, in addition to reading Parshat Tetzaveh from the book of Exodus, we read from a section of Deuteronomy (25:17-19) in honor of the upcoming holiday of Purim. The Shabbat is called Shabbat Zachor, or the Shabbat of memory,…
Torah Thoughts – Terumah Exodus.25.1-27.19 – What a Heart Inspired Can Do
(Also featured in the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s Jewish Thought of the Week) Last week, over 20 of Buffalo’s most dynamic Civic Leaders met with Talya Levanon, the director of the Israel Trauma Coalition, at a quiet restaurant in the Yemin…
Torah Thoughts – Mishpatim – Exodus.21.1-24.18 – “Moving from Stranger to Guest”
Last Shabbat, I, and several others from our Buffalo Civic Leaders Israel trip had a chance to pray at the first Reform congregation in Israel, Kehilat Har-El. Founded in the early 1960s, the community is situated in a small two-story…
Torah Thoughts – Yitro – Exodus.18.1-20.23 – “Keep Your Friends Close, Your Allies Closer”
At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Moses is in desperate need of something. The Israelites are in disarray. Moses is worn out. The future looks bleak. Moses could use a friend. Enter his father-in-law Jethro, who, based on…
Torah Thoughts – Beshalach – Exodus 13:17-17:16 – “To the Singer of Songs”
Eleven years ago, I watched my first virtual funeral service. While commonplace today, at that time it was extraordinary. The person being buried was Debbie Friedman, one of the most important Jewish figures of the past century, but not someone…