Archive: May 2025

Who’s Who in Judaism: Baruch Spinoza

Posted on May 16, 2025

Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss introduces us to radical thinker Baruch Spinoza, the 17th century philosopher whose rational approach connects him to modern Judaism. Photo of “Portrait of Benedictus de Spinoza”  courtesy of the Collection of Herzog August Library on Wikimedia Commons, and is Public Domain.

Who’s Who in Judaism: Todd Golden

Posted on May 9, 2025

Rabbi Daniel Plotkin introduces us to Todd Golden, University of Florida coaching wunderkind. Photo of Golden Courtesy of Gatorfan252525 on Wikimedia Commons, covered under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Parasha: Achrei Mot-Kedoshim

Posted on May 7, 2025

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1–20:27 “You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which human beings shall live: I am יהוה.” — Leviticus 18:5 In this week’s double-parsha, we read about the rituals of Yom Kippur, additional rules about sacrifice, and many laws the Israelites must follow. This verse from Parshat Kedoshim Continue Reading »

Who’s Who in Judaism: Lillie Steinhorn

Posted on May 2, 2025

Rachel Petroff Kessler, Director of Lifelong Learning, shares with us the story of Lillie Steinhorn, unsung hero of Social Security. Photo of Steinhorn courtesy of the US Social Security Administration (Public Domain).

Jewish Leadership Council Philanthropy

Posted on April 30, 2025

The Jewish Leadership Council Teen Philanthropy Team is working to raise $12,000 (goal), $15,000 (stretch), or $18,000 (dream) for the following three organizations: The Grassroots Day Resource Center, an organization that provides hot meals, showers, laundry, and more to individuals who are homeless, housing insecure, or otherwise in need. The FIDF (Friends of the Israeli Continue Reading »

Parashat: Tazria-Metzora

Posted on April 30, 2025

Parashat: Tazria-Metzora Torah Reading: Leviticus 12:1–15:33 “…When it has been brought to the priest, the priest shall go outside the camp…” — Leviticus 14:3 Parashat Tazria-Metzora is not always the easiest portion to deal with, mostly because it takes us outside (most!) of our comfort zones. When talking about illness, contagion, discharge, and more (okay Continue Reading »