Judaism

Torah

Blessing the People With Love and Joy

Local

Does Birthright Stifle Teen Travel?

Shavuot

Synagogues Celebrate New Arrivals

Torah

Just What Does It Mean to Be a 'Holy People'?

MISHPATIM, Exodus 21:1-24:18

By:

Rabbi Howard A. Addison

"And you shall be a holy people unto me." With these words from Exodus, one might argue that this week's portion encapsulates the essence of Torah. Nestled amidst a legal compendium covering a range of ritual, civil and criminal issues, this stirring phrase allows us to glimpse the goal of sanctified living. The Zohar actually refers to the 613 mitzvot,...

Torah

True Leaders Work to Incorporate All

YITRO, Exodus, 18:1-20:23

By:

Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, JE Feature

This week's portion, Yitro, which is named after an elder who was not a Jew, includes the first recitation of the Ten Commandments. Throughout the centuries, Jews have debated how Moses' father-in-law Yitro, or Jethro, came to be identified with the first articulation of the basic laws that have guided so many for so long. Jethro joins Moses, Aaron and...

Torah

'Why Cry Out? Tell the Israelites to Go Forward'

Beshalach, Exodus 13:17-17:16

By:

Rabbi Joshua Runyan

Geometry tells us that the shortest path between two points is a straight line. A glance at the geography of the Mideast shows us that the quickest route from the fertile plains of northern Egypt to Israel follows the Mediterranean shore. But this week's Torah portion opens with a curious detail: Instead of seeking the fastest way out of a...

Tradition

Tefillin Grounds an Airplane in Philly, and Makes Headlines

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

If there's any upshot at all to the misunderstanding that grounded a small aircraft last week in Philadelphia -- and that most likely scared the wits out of two Jewish teenagers -- it's that the general public might now know a bit more about tefillin. A 17-year-old Orthodox Jew donned his phylacteries to recite morning prayers during a Jan. 21...

Tu B'Shevat

A Down-to-Earth, 'Avatar' Tu B'Shevat

By:

Edmon J. Rodman, JTA

Los Angeles Celebrating Tu B'Shvat this year on an alien moon called Pandora? Why not? As seen in "Avatar," the 3-D, billion-dollar grossing movie, it's definitely a place where trees are revered. In the film, bluish people called Na'vi worship ancient trees. Here on earth, a Jewish people who have a "navi" or two of our own (navi in Hebrew...