When building the Temple, everyone is asked to give. There is no specific amount, the direction is to give according to their own ability. May this be a reminder that each of us is required in creating holiness, and each of us is accepted and desired for our own talents, virtues...
“We shall do and we shall listen,” say the Jewish people this week, after hearing a long set of laws given to them from Sinai. As Jewish peoplehood develops, we understand that there is a need for a set of laws in order to create a just, loving society. To say...
This week, we receive our laws, the beginning of the blueprint for social society moving forward, the Ten Commandments. One of our favorites is to Honor thy Mother and Father. Let your loved ones know that you love them, check in with them, see if you can help them or just if...
This week, we cross the sea. This week, the adventure begins. This is the time in which we tap into what it feels to be redeemed, to become a nation. Shabbat Shalom!
This week, we are commanded to remember the Exodus, the defining event that creates our peoplehood. This is an honor and incredible responsibility for us all, humbling us to remember from where we came. Shabbat Shalom!
Last week, god introduces himself to Moses as “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,” or “I will be what I will be.” This photo is taken from David Yallin street in Jerusalem this past week, which has the name of god, as he speaks of himself, written in ancient Hebrew. This week, god uses...
The beginning of a new book, a new journey, a new cycle of relearning what redemption means. May we continue to appreciate this wonderful new start. Shabbat Shalom!
This week’s parsha, the final one in the book of Genesis, is called Vayehi, or, And He Shall Live. In this portion, Jacob dies and leaves blessings for his children, the tribes of Israel. This teaches us that in the Torah, even death is a part of life, that those...
This sunrise, experienced this morning in Benjamin’s biblical allotment in the land of Israel, is a beautiful connection to this week’s parsha. Benjamin is the connection of Joseph back to his brothers, the family reuniting and the ended hunger of the tribe of Israel. Shabbat Shalom!
Just like this snail is on a journey, this week we see the children of Israel on their way down to Egypt. Every journey we make takes us somewhere, and every place has goodness to be found. Shabbat shalom!
