d'Var Torah

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“Let everyone who has zeal for the Law and who stands by the covenant follow me!” – 1 Maccabees 2:27 Mattathias, the high priest and patriarch of the Hasmonean … more

d'Var Torah | 12/9/19

Noah’s story is a tale of hope

This week, we read the story of Noah and the flood. You might be familiar with it as a cute kid’s story about finding two of each animal and bringing them into a giant boat. Or perhaps you … more

d'Var Torah | 10/31/19

Celebrate the whole person, including the imperfections

“2715 Hits Eclipsed by One Miss” read the headline in the sports section eulogizing baseball great Bill Buckner this past spring. The mishap in Game 6 of the ’86 World … more

d'Var Torah | 10/2/19

The legacies we leave behind – writing an ethical

Knowing that he will die before he is able to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, Moses wants to remind the people of all the lessons they have learned in the desert and the values they will … more

d'Var Torah | 9/10/19

The power of memories on Tisha B’Av

Oppressive governments. Neighbors turning innocent neighbors in to the authorities. The most revered place desecrated. People exiled, fleeing a home that can no longer be home. Parents weeping … more

d'Var Torah | 8/1/19

Lessons from a failed rebellion in the desert

If you have been keeping up with our weekly Torah portions, you know that we are now following the adventures of the ancient Israelites as they travel the Wilderness of Sinai. Moses, as leader and … more

d'Var Torah | 7/5/19

We are all very important people

Fifty years ago, in 1969, I became a Bar Mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Rabbi Eli Bohnen, Rabbi Joel Zaman and my dad, Cantor Ivan Perlman, officiated at my simcha on Shabbat parashat … more

d'Var Torah | 6/6/19

An added measure of holiness at just the right time

As always, we ended our sedarim with the words l’shanah haba’ah birushalayim, “Next year in Jerusalem!” For my congregation, Temple Etz Chaim of Franklin, Massachusetts, these … more

d'Var Torah | 5/2/19

The liberation we desire

This time of year I am reminded of my dear friend, Gladys Kapstein z”l, who used to serenade her friends at Hillel board meetings with “I love Pesach with a Passion” to the tune … more

d'Var Torah | 4/4/19

Fulfilling the Purim mitzvah

As we approach the raucous holiday celebration of Purim this month, we must ask ourselves a rather sobering question: why are we commanded to observe the holiday by drinking to excess? We know, of … more

d'Var Torah | 2/28/19