Torah: Hukkat These past two weeks have seen too much violence. I write under the shadow of painful images. What light can our Torah reading this Shabbat, Hukkat, shed? At the center of our Torah reading is the punishment of Moses and Aaron for the failure to “honor God in the midst of the people” (Deuteronomy 20:12). What was their sin in…
An egalitarian Conservative congregation serving the diverse Orange County Jewish Community
An egalitarian Conservative congregation serving the diverse Orange County Jewish Community
Posts from 2016 (Page 4)
Elie Wiesel was my teacher. He passed on Shabbat. I mourn, for I loved him and felt beloved by him. During my three years of Rabbinical School in NYC, I worked at the 92nd Street Y, where Professor Wiesel gave four talks a year. He presented portraits of Biblical, Talmudic, and Hasidic figures by reading…
Naso: In this week’s Torah reading are the three-fold priestly blessings: “May the Ever Present One bless you and protect you; May Ever Present One deal kindly and graciously with you; May Ever Present One be present for you and grant you wholeness” (Numbers 6:24-26) As you may note, I have chosen to translate YHVH as “Ever Present One” rather than the…
Shavuot begins on Saturday night. It is customary to spend that night in study in anticipation of the reenactment in the morning of the revelation at Mount Sinai. Although the Bible account is of God addressing the people with the Ten Commandments, the rabbis expanded the holiday to encompass the giving of the entire Torah. A…
Shavuot begins on Saturday night. It is customary to spend that night in study in anticipation of the reenactment in the morning of the revelation at Mount Sinai. Although the Bible account is of God addressing the people with the Ten Commandments, the rabbis expanded the holiday to encompass the giving of the entire Torah. A preschooler this morning asked me, “Why do…
“If” (אם) is repeated twenty-eight times in parashat B’Hukotai, such as “if you follow my laws….; if you do not obey me… if these things fail to discipline you…if a person consecrates to the Lord purchased land….” The repetition of “if” emphasizes free will and that action has consequences. After entering the Promised Land, success will depend on making good choices, marked…
Behar: The beginning of this week’s parashah focuses on the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, which will take effect after the people enter the Promised Land. Both of these laws seek social equality, with the Sabbatical annulling debts every seventh year and the Jubilee every fifty years returning land to its original tribal owners. The Bible offers hope to…
Behar: The beginning of this week’s parashah focuses on the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, which will take effect after the people enter the Promised Land. Both of these laws seek social equality, with the Sabbatical annulling debts every seventh year and the Jubilee every fifty years returning land to its original tribal owners. The Bible offers hope to the impoverished of new…
Emor: We also read selections from this week’s Torah readings during the holidays of Sukkot and Passover, for in parashat Emor is a description of the six primary Biblical Holydays (see if you can name them – key below). In the words of Rabbi Yitz (Irving) Greenberg: “The festival are the master code of Judaism. Decipher them and you will discover the…
Mazal Tov to our honorees and thank you to Gala committee and attendees for supporting our Annual Gala! Photos taken by Mindy Paskil of Mindy Fine Art Photography.