d'Var Torah

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Jewish wisdom on attaining work-life balance

So many of us lead very busy lives. Between work, volunteering, self-care, care of family members, nurturing friendships, and all the other things that pull us in a million directions, it can be … more

d'Var Torah | 5/3/18

Tazria-Metzora: The mystery of a baby girl

Four years ago, during a winter that was colder and longer than the one we are now ending, my younger daughter and I decided to go for a walk. At the time, she was only 9 years old, as thin as a … more

d'Var Torah | 4/19/18

The miracle of the goats

On seder nights, after the fourth cup of wine, we always try to sing “Chad Gadya.” It’s a silly, deep song about a little goat that my abba bought for two zuzim. This year, … more

d'Var Torah | 4/4/18

Viewing sacrifices in a whole new light

Whenever we start reading the Book of Leviticus, or Vayikra, as it is known in Hebrew, I begin to feel guilty. Vayikra is dominated by chapter after chapter that define the laws of sacrifices. As … more

d'Var Torah | 3/15/18

Lessons from the golden calf

Imagine the scene: Moses is up on Mount Sinai, listening to God’s words – which somehow end up written on tablets of stone. Did Moses write those words? Were … more

d'Var Torah | 3/4/18

A blueprint for building sacred communities

Parashat Terumah This week, we read the first of five Torah portions dedicated almost entirely to the building of the mishkan, the portable Temple that the Israelites took with them throughout … more

d'Var Torah | 2/15/18

The miracle that is camp

Our Torah readings these days focus on the wanderings of our ancestors in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. These peregrinations would take some getting used to. The lives they had … more

d'Var Torah | 2/3/18

Pharaoh’s free will and our own free will

We make choices every day. We get up in the morning and decide what to eat for breakfast, where to go from our homes, whom we will see, what we will say and what we will do with our lives. … more

d'Var Torah | 1/18/18

From Exodus to now, our social responsibilities are still the same

Once upon a time, there arose a new ruler. This new ruler deliberately ignored the accomplishments of the foreigner who had made the country prosper in hard times. He impugned the loyalty of … more

d'Var Torah | 1/4/18

Lessons learned from this band of brothers

My first four years in Israel were spent in Jerusalem in the first half of the 1970s. Whenever I see the name of the portion, Vayigash, my memory takes me back to standing in line in … more

d'Var Torah | 12/21/17