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38 results total, viewing 1 - 10
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This Torah portion at publication time is “Chayei Sarah,” the Life of Sarah. Ironically, the portion begins after Sarah’s death, giving no details at all about her life. One interpretation of this is that while the specifics of our lives might not...
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d'Var Torah
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11/6/26
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The pilgrimage festivals — particularly Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah — are deeply rooted in the spirit of philanthropy and shared responsibility. Rather than being an optional holiday practice, tzedakah is the lifeblood of the season.
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d'Var Torah
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10/2/26
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We celebrate the creation of the world. We pause on our entrance to this new year, reflect and look at what we have created in the past year.
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d'Var Torah
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9/4/26
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At the heart of the book of Deuteronomy there is an assumption about the relationship between God and humanity that, frankly, we might find difficult. The book tells us repeatedly that God rewards the good and punishes the bad.
In last...
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d'Var Torah
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8/7/26
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This week's Torah portion is Pinchas, named for the biblical character who Jewish tradition sees as the model of righteous zealotry. Don't be surprised if you did not learn about Pinchas when you were a child in religious school. His story is...
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d'Var Torah
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7/1/26
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In this week’s Torah reading, Beha’alotcha, we find that Miriam speaks badly about her brother Moses and is therefore stricken with leprosy. As a result, she is quarantined outside the Israelite camp for seven days, after which she is healed and...
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d'Var Torah
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6/9/26
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This week's Torah portion, Emor, contains this law about counting days: "You shall count for yourselves from the day after the holiday [Passover], from the day you bring the omer of grain offering, and they shall be seven complete weeks. You shall...
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d'Var Torah
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5/5/26
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Every year, at Passover, Jewish homes across the world become laboratories of renewal. We sweep, scrub and search for chametz, not only to fulfill halakhic obligation but to remind ourselves that …
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d'Var Torah
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4/12/26
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One of the first times that my brother and I were left home alone, we decided we were in the mood for pancakes. When we couldn’t figure out how to turn on the stove, we retreated to the garage with a wastebasket, an old Sunday Boston Globe, a book...
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d'Var Torah
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3/4/26
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Moses has done something wrong. You may think this is surprising for a Rabbi to say about our tradition’s most important forebear, but this critique comes from Moses’ father-in-law, Yitro, in our Torah portion this week.
Over the last few weeks,...
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d'Var Torah
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2/4/26
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