P’kudei is the last Torah portion in the book of Exodus. It speaks about the accounting system for the tabernacle, the Israelites sacred space they carried and used during the time that they wandered in the desert. It is full of details and figures, descriptions and prescriptions. At first glance it appears to be the Continue Reading »
If you’ve ever been at a traditional prayer service where the making of a minyan was touch-and-go, you might have witnessed a lay leader pointing a finger at the attendees and “not counting” them: “Not one, not two, not three…” In this way, even in a moment when they really needed to know how many Continue Reading »
Happy Purim! Happy Purim? We are so excited to celebrate with many of you tonight at what’s sure to be a wonderful shpiel and Purim Palooza … and so excited to celebrate with many more over the weekend, as our Purim celebrations continue for community members of all ages. We could all use a little Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, There is a special name for this Shabbat, the Shabbat prior to the holiday of Purim. It’s called Shabbat Zachor: the “Sabbath to Remember!” I put an exclamation point there because the word Zachor is in the imperative grammatical form, essentially commanding us to remember. What are we remembering? We are commanded to Continue Reading »
“God spoke to Moses, saying: Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved” (Exodus 25:1-2). In this week’s Torah portion, we find some examples of gifts for God, as the Israelites plan to furnish the Mishkan. These gifts include things like Continue Reading »
Last week we read the dramatic story of the giving of the Ten Commandments. There was thunder and fire and God’s voice booming from the mountain top. Good movies come from Parshiot like that one! This week we find ourselves in a completely different setting, Parashat Mishpatim, lacks the excitement of its predecessor. It contains a Continue Reading »
If you come to Shabbat morning services this weekend, wear good shoes, because when the Ten Commandments are read from the Torah scroll, we will stand for the entire reading. Why? Like so many other Jewish traditions, standing for the Decalogue has been controversial since it began hundreds of years ago. The rabbis who dealt Continue Reading »
