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Night: Fear, Power, Divine Presence (Shekhinah)

Oct 29, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

Transitions are times of vulnerability, anxiety, even fear. The mezuzah guides us through the transition between our home and the outside world. The words of the challenging, non-Israelite Prophet Balaam welcome us into the synagogue: “Mah Tovu (How beautiful are your tents O Jacob).” I wrote several reflections on the prayer texts that support us from sleep to wakefulness, giving thanks for soul and body restored to strength and vitality for another day.

The Challenge of Tomorrow’s Blessing

Oct 29, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Toledot

Parashat Toledot opens in life and closes with the threat of death.

Life: Quantity Vs. Quality

Oct 23, 2013 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah

“And the span of Sarah’s life was 127 years—the years of Sarah’s life” (Gen. 23:1; my translation). Whenever I read this verse, I feel a deep sadness that is only intensified by the story that follows. Let me explain.

Mizmor LeDavid (Psalm 23)—Time, Text, Melody

Oct 23, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

Psalm 23 is beloved in much of the English-speaking world for affirming a certainty of the divine presence—even in times of dread and adversity—in the most hauntingly beautiful language. The paean to the Psalm by 19th-century American pastor Henry Ward Beecher is widely cited.“The twenty third psalm is the nightingale of the Psalms. It is small, of a homely feather, singing shyly out of obscurity; but oh! it has filled the air of the whole world with melodious joy, greater than the heart can conceive” (Life Thoughts).

Ahuzah: Settling Down

Oct 23, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah

At the opening of this week’s parashah, Abraham is occupied with arrangements for the burial of his beloved wife, Sarah.

A Hand to Hold

Oct 16, 2013 By Joel Alter | Commentary | Vayera

Her beautiful 16-year-old Ishmael lying whimpering nearby from mortal thirst and her own death close at hand, Hagar—in Genesis 21:15–18—is about as pitiable as one might imagine.

Prayer: Invitation and Outcry

Oct 16, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), with many organizations and agencies working together to spread awareness and the understanding that this scourge is endemic in modern society—and that no religion and no sector of society is exempt. My friend and colleague Rabbi Lisa Gelber, associate dean of The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary, was invited by FaithTrust Institute to write the “Universal Prayer” for the call of unity that opened DVAM, and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (which convened the call) then created artwork to frame the prayer on a flyer. The prayer has found wide acceptance and recognition.

In Every Moment, the Choice Is Ours

Oct 16, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayera

Sight and vision play an important role in the two opening narratives of Parashat Vayera.

What’s in a Name?

Oct 9, 2013 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Lekh Lekha

What’s in a name? Quite a lot, but you need to know the story.

Words of Prayer: New and Old

Oct 9, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

“What Page Are We on in the Prayer Book Blues” is a lighthearted song made famous by a pair of Orthodox artists in the 1980s called the Megama Duo (start at 3 minutes and 22 seconds in the linked video). The song would never have become as (in)famous as it was if the experience of “not being able to find the place” was unfamiliar. But, on the contrary, we have all been there, and it’s good to laugh at, and with, ourselves. When we do find the place in our prayer books, we see lines and paragraphs and pages of text, and it is often hard to find ourselves in the words.

God As an Ally

Oct 9, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Lekh Lekha

A journey of four thousand years begins with God’s command to Abraham.

Why Did God Flood the World?

Oct 1, 2013 By Alan Cooper | Commentary | Noah

The end of Parashat Bereishit finds God regretting the creation of humankind and resolving to wipe it out along with “beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky” (Gen. 6:7). A note of optimism creeps into the concluding verse (6:8), however, with the statement that Noah, whose birth and naming were noted in 5:29, “found favor” with God.

The Noah of Genesis and the Noah of the Rabbis

Oct 1, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Noah

Parashat Noah, the Torah reading for this coming Shabbat, is renowned for the annual debate on Noah’s character that is sparked by the opening verse.

Simhat Torah: Which Way When the Circle Ends

Sep 23, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Simhat Torah

The annual celebration of Simhat Torah brings great joy to so many of us of all generations, and it is a fitting and triumphant conclusion to the long and multifaceted season of intense Jewish observance and focus that began (a little before Rosh Hashanah) with Selichot. In Israel and in congregations observing a single day of festivals, Simhat Torah is blended with Shemini Atzeret, offering the intense experience in the morning of Hallel, Hakkafot (processions with dancing) and Geshem (the prayer for Rain).

Bereishit with a Capital Bet

Sep 22, 2013 By David Marcus | Commentary | Bereishit

With this week’s parashah, we once again commence the cycle of reading the Torah from the first chapter of Genesis, which begins with the Hebrew word bereishit.

Mastery = Harmony

Sep 22, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Bereishit

This coming Shabbat, we return to the beginning of Torah with Parashat Bereishit.

The Fruits of Close Reading

Sep 16, 2013 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Sukkot

“In order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:43).

Welcome Guests—Visible and . . .

Sep 16, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Sukkot

The sukkah is fragile and temporary, yet stands as a symbol of joy and celebration. Rabbi Reuven Hammer, in his commentary Or Hadash (Siddur Sim Shalom, 331), reminds us of a debate about the meaning of Leviticus 23:43 (“You shall live in Sukkot for seven days . . . in order that future generations will recall that I made the Israelite People dwell in Sukkot when I brought them out of Egypt”): “Rabbi Eliezer said that [these sukkot] were clouds of glory and Rabbi Akiba said they were actual huts (B. Sukkah 11b).”