Parts of a Whole
Feb 20, 2013 By Rabbi Abigail Treu | Commentary | Tetzavveh | Purim
A strange fact about being human: we never see any object in its entirety. We perceive in three dimensions, but see only in two so that our seeing is always at the mercy of our believing.
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The Light of Passover
Mar 25, 2013 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Pesah
Why did the Rabbis use the word light when they intended darkness? The Hebrew word leila (לילה) would certainly have worked. Why did the Rabbis not say what they meant?
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Elijah’s Cup: A Time For Family Reunion
Apr 8, 2014 By Daniel Nevins | Short Video | Pesah
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“This Year We Are Slaves”: How and Why Do We Celebrate Freedom in the Face of Oppression?
Apr 18, 2014 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Commentary | Pesah
What does it mean to celebrate Passover in the shadow of death?
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Purim Reversals
Mar 11, 2014 By Julia Andelman | Commentary | Purim
A few months after college graduation, I arrived in Israel as an eager new yeshiva student.
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Mah Nishtanah . . . A Seder for Yom Ha’atzma’ut
May 16, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut
In recent weeks, Medinat Israel (the State of Israel) was celebrated by citizens, residents, and the worldwide Jewish community with an array of observances for Yom Ha’atzma’ut (Israel Independence Day). In synagogues of the Conservative/Masorti Movement, morning minyan included the Hallel prayer and a special Torah reading, affirming the understanding that the establishment of Israel is not merely an item in the political history of the mid-20th century, but a vital step in the spiritual story of our people and, perhaps, the world. The “Prayer for the State of Israel,” included in the Shabbat morning service in almost all synagogues, speaks of Israel as “reishit tzemichat ge’ulateinu” (the beginning of the flowering of our redemption).“Redemption,” here, must be understood as the Messianic Era of universal peace and understanding.
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