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Sin at the Door - September 15, 2018

09/15/2018 08:18:39 PM

Sep15

Murder is a terrible, terrible crime which has always been a part of the human condition. According to the Bible, it was just the 2nd generation of mankind when there was the first murder – the fratricide by Cain of Abel.

Cain is the oldest son of Adam and Eve. The name Cain means, “acquired” which is reflected in Genesis 4:1 when Eve says, “I have gained a male child with the help of the Lord.” Cain’s younger brother,...Read more...

Unforgivable Sins - September 8, 2018

09/08/2018 10:16:39 PM

Sep8

Orthodox Jews will read on Yom Kippur morning: “For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before the Lord.” (Leviticus 16:30)

The High Holidays start next week and, as a reminder, Yom Kippur is a time when we pray for forgiveness for our sins. The Torah portion for Yom Kippur for Orthodox Jews is Leviticus 16 where we learn how the shrine is cleansed. And we also learn...Read more...

Dirty Money - September 1, 2018

09/02/2018 04:50:52 PM

Sep2

Last week we looked at a passage in the Torah that identifies cult prostitutes. Prostitution was an acknowledged and accepted fact of biblical life, but we also saw that money earned by a prostitute while plying their trade cannot be used to fulfill a vow to God, because God would find that to be abhorrent.

Rabbi Jaech led us in a discussion of modern-day questions about money coming to a synagogue from, what some might call,...Read more...

Salacious Stories - August 25, 2018

08/26/2018 09:07:57 AM

Aug26

Rabbi Jennifer Jaech has returned from her summer hiatus of professional development and, perhaps inspired by the news cycles of one shocking development after another, zeroed in on a passage in this week’s Torah portion from Deuteronomy 23:

No Israelite woman shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any Israelite man be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a whore or the pay of a dog into the...Read more...

The devil made me do it

07/01/2018 12:40:55 PM

Jul1

According to Numbers 22, the prophet Balaam was called upon by the Moabite people to curse the Israelites. Balaam asked God if that was ok, but God said, “You must not curse that people, for they are blessed.” (Numbers 22:12)

Balaam is offered riches to ask again, and God tells Balaam to journey toward the Israelite enemy in Moab. However, after telling Balaam to make the journey, God sends an Adversary to block Balaam’s way....Read more...

Jephthah

06/23/2018 12:44:12 PM

Jun23

Part of today’s Torah portion is from Numbers 21 and it contains a passage where the Israelites, who were still wandering in the wilderness, ask for permission to pass through the land of the Amorites, but permission was not granted. A battled ensued and the Israelites won, “So Israel occupied the land of the Amorites.” (Numbers 21:31)

The Haftarah for this week comes from the Book of Judges and it offers a retelling of how the...Read more...

a sterling reputation

06/16/2018 12:38:54 PM

Jun16

Our session today started with a brief civics lessons: Jeff Sessions, Attorney General of the United States, cited a passage from Romans 13 of the Christian Bible to address the separation of parents from their children at the border between America and Mexico. Romans 13 says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been...Read more...

caleb the spy

06/09/2018 12:50:42 PM

Jun9

The Torah portion for this week is from the Book of Numbers. In the portion, the Israelites are at the end of the wandering and are ready to go into Canaan to claim the land as their own. 12 spies are sent ahead to scout the land and 10 of the spies come back saying that, although the land “does indeed flow with milk and honey,” the land is inhabited by giants who cannot be defeated. In fact, a cluster of grapes was cut down and brought...Read more...

Narizrite vows

06/03/2018 12:51:30 PM

Jun3

Last week we looked at the nazirite vow in the Torah. As a reminder, we learned that when a person takes a nazirite vow they are becoming holy to God, in a similar fashion that a priest is holy to God. However, the restrictions on a nazirite are even more strict than on a priest: Nazirites must abstain from all grape products, they must not cut their hair, and they must not come close to a dead person. Also, at the end of the term of being a...Read more...

who were the Nazirites?

05/27/2018 01:07:26 PM

May27

In Numbers 6 we learn what it means to take the vow to become a nazirite. Anyone, man or woman, can utter the vow to become a nazirite (but in this blog I will use male pronouns simply because it is easier for me). A nazirite must not eat or drink anything that comes from grapes: wine, raisins, etc. A nazirite must never cut the hair on his head. And a nazirite must never be close to a dead person, including close relatives. If a nazirite...Read more...

Shavuot

05/19/2018 01:10:05 PM

May19

This year the holiday of Shavuot begins at sundown on May 19. The holiday is less familiar to American Reform Jews, but it was an important holiday in Biblical times. The holiday has its root in the Torah, where it is referred to as the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of Reaping, and the Day of First Fruits.

Biblical Israelites lived in an agrarian society and Shavuot was celebrated at the end of the grain harvest. According to...Read more...

The AmidaH

05/16/2018 10:21:21 AM

May16

The Amidah, which in our Reform liturgy is called The Tefilah, is the central prayer of our service. The word “Amidah” can be translated as “Standing,” and many traditional Jews stand during the entire prayer. Reform Jews do not stand for the entire prayer, so in the Reform liturgy it is referred to as The Tefilah, which simply translates to “The Prayer.”

Most Reform Jews are more familiar with the Shabbat Amidah, which is an...Read more...

Sun, December 22 2024 21 Kislev 5785