There is a kingdom, there is a king. (Parasha Re’eh and Rosh Chodesh Elul). This year, Shabbat Re’eh coincides with Rosh Chodesh, the new moon. While in previous parshiyot Moshe has focused on our ability to hear, in this one he focuses on our ability to see, as emphasised in its opening verse, “Re’eh, see, […]
In Parasha Shoftim, the Torah provides for the judicial development of its own laws, including the statement that: “you must not deviate from the verdict that they announce to you either to the right or to the left.” (Dt. 17: 11). This passage has served for the authority not just for the courts of the […]
This week, we read from the Parasha Ki Teizei. What sets this portion apart from all the others is the sheer number of laws contained therein. 72 by most counts. Many of them cover a wide range of topics, but a few are dedicated to a specific and hopefully not often encountered circumstance. It is […]
Parashat Ki Tavo begins with a description of the ceremony of the bikkurim, the offering of the first fruit. “You shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that Adonai your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where Adonai […]
We approach the Yamim Noraim, the time in which we proclaim God as King. While the metaphor stems from our patriarchal ancestry, we can still use it as a metaphor signifying the awesome power of the universe beyond. Yet that may lead us to question how “the King of Kings” can allow so much evil […]
Keeping balanced: privilege and gratitude. With Yom Kippur just behind us and Sukkot just ahead of us, we turn our attention to the last sedra of the Torah read on Shabbat (the very last sedra V’zot Habracha is only read at Simchat Torah). Ha’azinu is the song Moses teaches the people as an everlasting testimony […]
Yom Kippur and the journey of the heart By Rabbi Jeffrey B Kamins A prayer of Moshe, the man of God. “Adonai, you have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains came into being, and before You brought forth the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are everlasting God. You […]
Sukkot is a beautiful festival of Thanksgiving, while also the conclusion of our penitential season. This is the time of our autumn final harvest (land of Israel) for which we give deep gratitude. At the same time, following the Yamim Noraim, we dwell in our fragile Sukkot, gather together the four species and remember our […]
At this point in the calendar, it almost seems like a let down, to come to services and nothing special will be occurring (aside from 2 Bnai Mitzvah – it seems that every week at Emanuel Synagogue is special!). To aid in the post holiday blues, we are treated this week to the beginning of […]
In the prayers of P’sukei D’zimrah (Songs of Praise) that we read each morning leading up to Shirat HaYam (the Song of the Sea), a passage is included from the prophet Nechemiah. This passage proclaims God’s presence and power and acknowledges God’s role leading up to the Exodus and then the splitting of the Red […]
