Jewish Exponent Torah Portion & Candle Lighting Feed http://www.jewishexponent.com TOLDOT, Genesis 25:19-28:9 Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, tells the story of a friend who called him in a dither. At odds with his son, the exasperated father asked Covey to intervene. "Stephen, I don't und... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/20033/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/20033/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT Rabbi Shlomo Riskin HAYE SARAH, Genesis 23:1-25:18 When the dramatic events were over, Abraham and Isaac traveled home to Beersheva. So it's surprising that at the beginning of this week's portion, we find Abraham traveling to Hebron to... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19992/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19992/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT VAYERA, Genesis 18:1-22:24 This week's Torah portion contains one of the most famous occurrences of divine punishment, ranking right up there with the flood and the Tower of Babel: the destruction of several cities and the saving of Abra... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19941/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19941/ Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT Rabbi Danielle Stillman LECH LECHA, Genesis 12:1-17:25 "Lech Lecha! Go forth." These are the words that God speaks to Abraham at the beginning of this week's portion. With that, the drama of the patriarchs and matriarchs is put into mot... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19889/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19889/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES There will be no eerie glow coming from your Havdalah candle on Saturday evening, Oct. 31. No boiling or toiling in your kiddush cup or the smell of sulfur in your spice box. Shabbat... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19890/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19890/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Noach, Genesis 6:9-11:32 "Why," asks the Slonimer Rebbe, "does the Torah begin with so many accounts of degradation?" Both this week's sedra and its predecessor are rife with accounts of faithlessness, murder, violence, perversion and hubr... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19842/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19842/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT BERESHIT, Genesis 1:1-6:8 Do you remember the first time you ever looked up into the heavens on a dark night and discovered that the sky was full of twinkling, magical stars? Whatever your age -- whether you were alone or with a sibling... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19795/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19795/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Ellen Frankel Jewish Telegraphic Agency When I was growing up, no one told me the difference between the Torah and Midrash. So, like many other Jews, I thought the Hebrew Bible included the legends of Lilith, of Abraham smashing his fat... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19760/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19760/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah Rabbi Joshua Runyan You've spent seven days eating, drinking and perhaps sleeping in a walled, tent-like structure with a roof specifically designed to let in the rain and the sunlight. Over the course of t... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19761/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19761/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Rabbi Danielle Stillman Sukkot There is something magical about a sukkah. It holds us inside its flimsy walls, decorated with lights and colors. Sitting inside, barely separated from the night, we are forced to make our own warmth and... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19705/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19705/ Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES Is your idea of the perfect Yom Kippur sermon short, really short, like a Twitter max of 140 characters short? OK, here goes: Yom Kippur is about R+P+TZ. To decode, have a listen:... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19650/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19650/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT HA'AZINU, Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52 This week's portion, Ha'azinu, begins with an imperative -- "Hear!" Before his passing Moses composed an epic poem recounting the triumphs and travails of Israel's wanderings. He warned his listeners of t... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19651/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19651/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT STEVEN SCHWARZMAN The economic downturn has caused many of us to think long and hard about rebalancing our investment portfolios, reducing expenses and readjusting our priorities, especially when faced with a job loss, the loss of retire... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19652/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19652/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT ROSH HASHANAH One of the most resonant prayers of the Rosh Hashanah liturgy is the piyyut, or "poem," known by its first two words, "U'netaneh Tokef" -- "Let us declare the powerful holiness of this day." The origins of this haunting lit... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19603/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19603/ Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT Dani Passow Dani Passow and friends in SenegalRecently, along with 23 other rabbinical students from eight different seminaries, I traveled to Senegal in Western Africa on a service-learning trip under the auspices of American Jewish World... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19604/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19604/ Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT NITSAVIM/VA-YELEKH, Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 Rabbi Joshua Runyan On the bell curve representing all possible drivers, the incredibly timid among us occupy one small section at the end. The other end is where the uber-aggressive reside.... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19545/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19545/ Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT MIKI YOUNG We were visiting friends, and my son was "acting up." The truth was, I was very uncomfortable visiting with these friends who didn't have children, who didn't know how to interact with them, and who presented some conversation... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19546/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19546/ Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT RABBI DANIELLE STILLMAN KI TAVO, Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 My family and I traveled a lot this summer. We took road trips and flew on airplanes, visited loved ones and experienced beautiful parts of the country. Traveling takes me out of... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19504/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19504/ Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT KI TEITZEI, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 Rabbi Howard A. Addison How shall we budget our money? Since last year's recession began, this question has risen to ever higher levels of existential concern. For some, this has meant curtailing vacati... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19458/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19458/ Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT How classic is the scene, played out endlessly in movies, of the estranged couple who walk away from one another. At some point, the man turns around, wanting to call her name, ask for another chance, beg for forgiveness. He is about to spe... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19421/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/19421/ Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT