Stories,photos

187 results total, viewing 121 - 130

Torah’s words challenge us from generation to generation

In just a few months, Temple Beth-El will welcome the High Holy Days with a brand new machzor (High HolyDay prayer book). This is the first machzor since “Gates of Repentance,” … more

d'Var Torah | 6/9/17

Gloom and doom at the season of our rejoicing

For the “time of our rejoicing,” as the Rabbis like to call Sukkot, the holiday has a curious custom. On the Sabbath of Sukkot, the nihilistic book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is … more

d'Var Torah | 9/20/18

To live in hope is the bravest choice

The flag of Rhode Island displays our state symbol – an anchor – with the word “Hope” emblazoned below. I have always liked that image, and it took on even more meaning a few … more

d'Var Torah | 9/25/17

Parashat Shemot

My Aunt Audrey came into our family when I was 15 years old. Our connection was instantaneous; she became my hero and was my champion for the next 40 years. more

d'Var Torah | 12/19/13

The Three Weeks

On the Jewish calendar, this is the time of year that we observe the Three Weeks. The Three Weeks are anchored at the beginning by the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, and at the end, by the fast of … more

d'Var Torah | 8/4/16

Do Jews believe in angels?

We are used to seeing angels in Christian art and hearing about them in Christian spirituality, so we may think they are a Christian idea. Since Judaism holds firmly to a single, incorporeal … more

d'Var Torah | 3/2/17

Lag B’Omer and the Great Mystery

I wish more people knew about Lag B’Omer here in the exile. In Israel, more than 150,000 people camp out on Mount Meron for an all-night Lag B’Omer … more

d'Var Torah | 5/27/16

Like Jacob, our spiritual challenge is to recognize the awesomeness of each moment

The Torah portion Vayetzei is a darshan’s (preacher’s) dream. It contains several iconic, archetypal, even universal experiences and images. Jacob … more

d'Var Torah | 12/9/16

Preparing for meaning and miracles: No mere march through the mud

By this time of year, it’s hard to have missed the abundant ads connected to “surviving” the upcoming holiday: Passover survival kits, Seder survival guides. For a festival celebrating the single most formative and climactic experience in … more

d'Var Torah | 3/13/14

The lessons of Egypt

As a young teen, I remember asking my teachers why the Jewish people needed to be enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years. Now, as our cycle of Torah readings has us once again focusing on Egypt, the … more

d'Var Torah | 1/10/22