Torah Commentary

Rabbi Joanne Yocheved Heiligman

Parshat Chayei Sarah: The Next Generation

By Rabbi Joanne Yocheved Heiligman Chayei Sarah opens, “The life of Sarah was 100 years, and 20 years, and 7 years, were the years of...
Rabbi Alex Salzberg

Parshat Lech Lecha: To Be Seen

By Rabbi Alex Salzberg Throughout the Torah, God has many names. Our tradition has taught that each name represents a different aspect of God’s divine...
Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz

Parshat Noach: Eradicating Hamas

By Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz The story of Noah is one that is familiar to us. Humanity regresses to the point that God regrets having created...
Rabbi Ari J Goldstein

Parshat Bereshit: The Puzzle of Cain and Abel

By Rabbi Ari J Goldstein Parshat Bereshit The story of Cain and Abel is surprisingly terse considering how famous it is. In fact, because it is...

Parshat Shmini Atzeret: Pray for Rain?

By Rabbi Ezra Weinberg  What is the modern-day lure of a holiday centralized on a prayer for rain? Both obvious and extremely non-obvious thoughts entered my...

Sukkot: Building a Joyous World

By Rabbi Naomi Zaslow Arriving just four days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot carries us from the headspace of Yom Kippur’s meditative contemplation into full joyful...

Parshat Ha’azinu: Moses’ Day in Court

By Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss  In Parshat Ha’azinu, the penultimate parshah, Moses powerfully enters the scene, stepping into a divine courtroom to present his final...
Rabbi Andrew Busch

Rosh Hashanah: The Blast of the Shofar

By Rabbi Andrew Busch What approach might best call a group of humans to attention? It is an ancient and ongoing question. Throughout history, all...
Rabbi Larry Pinsker

Parshat Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Some Toys Teach You Lessons Forever

By Rabbi Larry Pinsker Conversations with grown children often bring unexpected, quirky memories. Case in hand: A quarter century ago, our family was joined by a...
Rabbi Jerry Seidler

Parshat Ki Tavo: Entering the New Year With Gratitude

By Rabbi Jerry Seidler Just the other day, I visited a cancer patient at the hospital where I work as a chaplain. I asked her...