Torah

It's the Law, But Still We Struggle With It

KI TETSE, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19

By:

Rabbi Danielle Stillman

This week's portion, Ki Tetse, can overwhelm us with its long list of laws. The sheer number is mind-boggling, and when we try to make sense of them, we are faced with mixed emotions and reactions. They are designed to protect the weak from injustices: You must not use alternate weights and measures that would deceive the buyer of your...

Torah

Torah: It's God's Love Letter to All Humanity

RE'EH, Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

By:

Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell

The upcoming month of Elul is a time of preparation for entering the new year, a time of counting our way toward the 10 days of turning and introspection that invites each of us to frame our own journey in the light of our collective one. The rabbis teach that the very name of this month echoes the words of...

Torah

The Wondrous World, and the Force Behind It

SHOFTIM, Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

By:

Rabbi Howard A. Addison

My wife and I recently returned from an amazing eco-trip to Alaska. I can't fully describe the wonder of being enveloped in the immediacy of natural life. To be but a stone's throw from a glacier, and to observe caribou, bear and eagles in their natural habitats are transformative experiences. In addition to the sheer majesty of the wild, it...

Torah

Learning What Real Wealth Has to Offer Us

EKEV, Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25

By:

Rabbi Howard A. Addison

According to Jewish law, which blessing is more important: the Hamotzi, recited over bread before we eat, or the Birkat Hamazon, grace after the meal? Contrary to popular opinion, the winning answer is the Birkat Hamazon. Our talmudic sages instituted a number of short blessings, including Hamotzi, to be uttered before benefiting from specific aspects of creation. Declining to recite...

Torah

How We Can Translate Riches of What We Have

VA'ET HANAN, Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

By:

Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell

Parashat Va'et Hanan opens as Moses shares his plaintive request to the Holy One to be allowed to enter the promised land with the people he has shepherded. "O Lord," he cries, "Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan." God's reply is immediate and direct: "But the Holy One...