Judaism

Torah

Blessing the People With Love and Joy

Local

Does Birthright Stifle Teen Travel?

Shavuot

Synagogues Celebrate New Arrivals

Learning

'A Call to Action': Getting Boys Involved

By:

Deborah Hirsch

Four years ago, nearly six times as many women as men enrolled in Avodah, the Jewish Service Corps. The disparity was even worse at Hillel's Tzedek Advocacy program, where only two of 14 interns were male. And at Hebrew Union College, women comprised more than half of the rabbis ordained at both the Los Angeles and New York campuses. Synagogues,...

Torah

That Point Where Earth and Heaven Are Blurred

VAYETZEI, Genesis 28:10-32:2

By:

Rabbi Danielle Stillman

Angels are popular, their winged images appearing in art, literature and pop culture. They are other-worldly beings from the heavenly realm, yet we imagine them coming down to earth and interacting with humans. They are one way that the transcendent divine is made immanent, or brought closer to home, in our everyday lives. The portion Vayetzei opens and closes with...

Torah

In True Test of Faith, They Both Venture Forth

VAYEIRA, Genesis 18:1-22:24

By:

Rabbi Joshua Runyan

This week, we read of the Binding of Isaac, one of the most difficult narratives to square with what we rightly regard as a religion of peace whose primary goal is to perfect the world. Rabbinic sources identify the attempted sacrifice of Abraham's heir as the patriarch's 10th and final test inflicted by the Almighty. Ever since uprooting himself and...

Torah

Comfort in the Future, Especially After Loss

Chayei Sarah, Genesis 23:1-25:18

By:

Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell

"Sarah lived to be 127 years old -- such was the span of Sarah's life. Sarah died ... " There is no record of her aging, her decline or her final illness. We simply read that "Sarah died." Throughout the centuries, scholars have speculated that Sarah's demise was a response to the trauma of Abraham's attempted sacrifice of their son,...

Torah

With Holidays Over, the Real Work Begins

LECH-LECHA, Genesis 12:1-17:27

By:

Rabbi Danielle Stillman

Who out there is just a little bit relieved that the holidays are over? Of course, they were wonderful, but finally, we can say goodbye to all those relatives, our children can start their fall routine at school, and we can get something done at work. The Torah portions reflect this new rhythm as we settle into the narrative of...