Stories,photos

190 results total, viewing 111 - 120

Modern resources can help us avoid repeating ancient mistakes

The biblical story of Joseph and his brothers spans four Torah readings – a full month on the yearly calendar. That’s a lot of coverage for a single story in the Torah. There must be many … more

d'Var Torah | 1/5/17

Joseph and the American Diaspora experience

Our portion – Vayeshev – marks the beginning of an historical condition for the Jewish people, one that would not be resolved until 1948. It is the beginning of the Joseph story, a story … more

d'Var Torah | 12/23/16

Like Jacob, our spiritual challenge is to recognize the awesomeness of each moment

The Torah portion Vayetzei is a darshan’s (preacher’s) dream. It contains several iconic, archetypal, even universal experiences and images. Jacob … more

d'Var Torah | 12/9/16

When is a life truly complete and over?

When organizing the Torah and deciding how it should be structured, the rabbis divided the Torah into weekly parshiot (portions) and titled each portion with the first one or two important words that … more

d'Var Torah | 11/25/16

Strengthening the links of life

The portion Lech Lecha, literally “Go, for yourself,” opens with God’s command to Abraham to “go” out of his land, and to head toward some place that God will show him … more

d'Var Torah | 11/11/16

We can master our feelings – or let them master us

What makes people sin? How do they avoid it? Does God punish sinners in this world? Does God reward the righteous in this world? This week’s Torah portion ( B’reishit ) – … more

d'Var Torah | 10/28/16

The sukkah: A house of prayer for all nations

When I became a rabbi, I knew that I would be giving advice on how to build a sukkah someday, but I never imagined that it would be at the local church! It turns out that many Christians … more

d'Var Torah | 10/13/16

Do not fear to acknowledge the best and the brightest; they are our future

Do you remember the commercial where a father and his son are walking back to their car after a football game? It is the one where the son’s team has just won the championship. It is the one … more

d'Var Torah | 9/29/16

Turn help into hope

I would like to do a survey of The Voice readers. Pause for a moment, clear your minds, and think about the following question: What is the most powerful moment for you … more

d'Var Torah | 9/16/16

Reading the Bible as written for our time

We all know that the Hebrew Bible was written a long time ago. We assume that many of the Bible’s teachings were intended for a different political and social reality than ours. … more

d'Var Torah | 9/1/16