Upcoming Events
- Resilience, Renewal, and Resurrection, Part 3 January 26, 2020 at 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
- Resilience, Renewal, and Resurrection, Part 4 February 16, 2020 at 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
- Hevra Kaddisha Day of Learning March 1, 2020 at 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- Resilience, Renewal, and Resurrection, Part 5 April 5, 2020 at 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
- Resilience, Renewal, and Resurrection, Part 6 May 17, 2020 at 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Category Archives: Torah
Where The House Once Was
It’s hard to imagine Torah scholars having such a furious argument that they ripped a Torah scroll. But… It happened, did it not, in the synagogue of Tiberias over the issue of a doorstop that had a knob on the … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry, Talmud, Torah
Leave a comment
More Moment Than Mountain
Ancient legends say that great mountains contended to be the site where God would reveal the Torah. But God did not have loftiness in mind: Mount Tabor and Mount Carmel presented themselves with pride as wide as the world saying: … Continue reading
Between the Mountain and the Moment
The last words of the Ten Commandments resound from Sinai and the narrative of revelation continues: All the people saw the thunder and the lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Midrash, Poetry, Torah
3 Comments
Sufficient Meaning?
The Torah’s written words are not sufficient. It is the reading of the word and not the word alone that produces meaning. Meaning appears when timely experiences enter into conversation with the timeless text. Rashi, the great commentator, gives an … Continue reading
Posted in Midrash, Parshat HaShavuah, Poetry, Torah
Leave a comment
Abraham, the Son: The Image Maker and Image Breaker
There is an ancient story about Abraham smashing all the idols in his father’s shop to prove that the idols were only statues, not gods. As a child, I always thought that this story was in the Torah, so often … Continue reading
Posted in Parshat HaShavuah, Poetry, Torah
1 Comment