Parashat: Lech-Lecha Torah Reading: Genesis 12:1–17:27 “God said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” — Genesis 12:1 Abram, called by God to depart from his home in Haran, begins his journey to the land of Canaan with these words. There Continue Reading »
Parashat: Ha’azinu Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 32:1–32:52 “Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter” — Deuteronomy 32:1 Moses’s last words to the Israelites come in the form of a poem exhorting them to follow the commandments, reminding them of their humble origins, and prophesying the future fate of Continue Reading »
Parashat: Ki Teitzei Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19 “If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkey or ox fallen in the road, do not ignore it; you must raise it together,” — Deuteronomy 22:4 This commandment, seemingly quite specific to a particular situation, is a much larger commandment that still applies in the modern day. No, Continue Reading »
Rabbi Daniel Plotkin introduces us to Gilad Kariv, the progressive polymath who is an attorney, Reform rabbi, and member of the Israeli Knesset. Photo of Kariv Courtesy of Eithan Schonberg on Wikimedia Commons, covered under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Parashat: Eikev Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25 “When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to your God יהוה for the good land given to you.” — Deuteronomy 8:10 This line appears in Brikat HaMazon, the blessing after meals. While I was recently away at the URJ Creative Arts Academy, we sang this every day as a reminder Continue Reading »
Parashat: Pincus Numbers 25:10–30:1 “The name of Asher’s daughter was Serach” — Numbers 26:46 This verse is in the middle of a chapter that is a second census of the Israelites, this time of the new generation ready to go into the land. Every name mentioned except in this verse is a male name, a Continue Reading »