An Exegetical and Archaeological Experience
Aug 19, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Re'eh
This past June, our family journeyed to Israel — to reenergize our spiritual selves, to reconnect with the land and people of Israel, and to introduce our daughter to friends and family.
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Repentance in the Heart of Summer
Aug 15, 2009 By Andrew Shugerman | Commentary | Re'eh
At the end of Friday-night services this past July fourth weekend, the rabbi of a major urban synagogue beseeched those gathered to celebrate the secular holiday by joining the congregation or renewing their memberships immediately. The rabbi explained that this year, due to the global economic crisis, congregational finances had become a vital concern. A budget shortfall had forced the clergy and lay leadership to cancel their policy of selling tickets for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services to nonmembers in order to “encourage” more people to pay some level of membership dues. More grievously, the rabbi noted that the congregation’s diminished financial position might require cuts in social action programs upon which the neighborhood’s less fortunate depend. An infusion of cash from membership dues, though, would limit the impact of these cuts.
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Lessons of Idolatry
Aug 22, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Re'eh
Parashat Re’eh looks forward to the entry of the Israelites into the Land.
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Seeing Inequity
Aug 14, 2015 By Stephanie Ruskay | Commentary | Re'eh
So many people of color and their houses of worship have been destroyed this year because we haven’t rooted out systemic racism and oppression; because, like the weather, we talk about it, but most of us don’t do enough.
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Balancing Peshat and Sensitivity
Jul 31, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Re'eh
Parashat Re’eh contains a categorical pronouncement against idolatry in the Land of Israel.
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Do We Really Do Tzedakah?
Aug 27, 2011 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Re'eh
By delving into the biblical and rabbinic texts concerning tzedakah, we can begin to discover that what we consider to be tzedakah may not fit the parameters of what our sacred texts are actually demanding of us.
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How to Practice Faith
Aug 22, 2014 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Re'eh
Watch a world-class athlete do something extraordinary, like somersault and twist through the air from a high diving platform or serve a tennis ball so fast down the line that it seems fired by a cannon.
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The Journey Home
Aug 18, 2012 By Abigail Treu | Commentary | Re'eh
Why should I choose a Jewish life? And more than just a “Jewish” life—which might consist of nothing more than bagels, gefilte fish, and a penchant for Seinfeld reruns: Why should I choose a life of mitzvah, of Jewish commitment and action, when there are so many other compelling religions and spiritual paths?
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