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Simchat Torah – שִׂמחַת תוֹרָה (Deuteronomy 33:1–34:12, Genesis 1:1–2:3, Numbers 29:35-30:1)
/in Torah TidbitThis Week’s Torah Portion: Simchat Torah – שִׂמחַת תוֹרָה (Deuteronomy 33:1–34:12, Genesis 1:1–2:3, Numbers 29:35-30:1)
וְלֹא־קָ֨ם נָבִ֥יא ע֛וֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כְּמֹשֶׁ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יְדָע֣וֹ יְהֹוָ֔ה פָּנִ֖ים אֶל־פָּנִֽים׃
Never again did another prophet arise like Moses, in all of Israel, whom Adonai knew face to face. (Deuteronomy 34:10).
The Torah ends by celebrating Moses’ intimate relationship with God. Earlier in the Torah, the rest of the Israelites were afforded the same opportunity, but were too filled with fear to accept. In our generation, it is my prayer that each of us can gather the courage of Moses, to take the daring step to know God, face to face.
Parsha Simchat Torah – שִׂמחַת תוֹרָה Summary:
On Simchat Torah, the day on which we literally celebrate the Torah, we read the very end of Deuteronomy and the very beginning of Genesis. In the final verses of Torah, we read Moses’ blessing of the Israelites, offered before the prophet dies. Moses then ascends Mount Nebo, from which he sees the Promised Land and takes his final breath. God buries Moses and we are told there will never be another prophet like him. From this passage, we immediately begin our new cycle of Torah reading with the story of creation from the beginning of Genesis. And we create a new year of studying Torah. While each year we return to the same verses, it is we who are different. With each passing year, we grow and change, celebrate and mourn. And it is as if we are reading these sacred words for the very first time. וְלֹא־קָ֨ם נָבִ֥יא ע֛וֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כְּמֹשֶׁ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יְדָע֣וֹ יְהֹוָ֔ה פָּנִ֖ים אֶל־פָּנִֽים׃ Never again did another prophet arise like Moses, in all of Israel, whom Adonai knew face to face. (Deuteronomy 34:10). The Torah ends by celebrating Moses’ intimate relationship with God. Earlier in the Torah, the rest of the Israelites were afforded the same opportunity, but were too filled with fear to accept. In our generation, it is my prayer that each of us can gather the courage of Moses, to take the daring step to know God, face to face.First Day of Sukkot – יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל סֻכֹּת (Leviticus 23:33-44)
/in Torah TidbitThis Week’s Torah Portion: First Day of Sukkot – יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל סֻכֹּת (Leviticus 23:33-44)
וּבַחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כׇּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ וְחַגֹּתֶ֥ם חַ֛ג לַיהֹוָ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃
The fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be called sacred for you: you shall not work at your occupations. You shall celebrate a festival of Adonai for seven days. (Numbers 29:12).
Sukkot is a beautiful reminder to slow down after the rush of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Before we can celebrate the completion of our annual Torah cycle, we are invited to take a breath and sit in gratitude for all that has been, and for all that can be in our lives.
Parsha First Day of Sukkot – יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל סֻכֹּת Summary:
In these verses, we are instructed to observe the festival of Sukkot for seven days. The first of the seven days is a sacred day, one on which we refrain from work. Our ancestors brought sacrifices to the Temple on each of the days and lived in a booth. Why would we be expected to dwell in a fragile booth, exposed to the elements? Perhaps it is so that we do not take our possessions for granted. Anyone who has experienced a hurricane or a fire in their home knows just how fragile our dwellings really are. We are told of the lulav and the etrog and we are commanded to rejoice on each of the seven days. How wonderful to be commanded to celebrate! First Day of Sukkot – יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל סֻכֹּת וּבַחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כׇּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ וְחַגֹּתֶ֥ם חַ֛ג לַיהֹוָ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃ The fifteenth day of the seventh month shall be called sacred for you: you shall not work at your occupations. You shall celebrate a festival of Adonai for seven days. (Numbers 29:12). Sukkot is a beautiful reminder to slow down after the rush of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Before we can celebrate the completion of our annual Torah cycle, we are invited to take a breath and sit in gratitude for all that has been, and for all that can be in our lives.Haazinu – הַאֲזִינוּ (Deuteronomy 32:1–52)
/in Torah TidbitThis Week’s Torah Portion: Haazinu – הַאֲזִינוּ (Deuteronomy 32:1–52)
יַעֲרֹ֤ף כַּמָּטָר֙ לִקְחִ֔י תִּזַּ֥ל כַּטַּ֖ל אִמְרָתִ֑י כִּשְׂעִירִ֣ם עֲלֵי־דֶ֔שֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִ֖ים עֲלֵי־עֵֽשֶׂב׃
May my teaching come down like rain, my speech drop like dew, like showers on seed sprouts, like droplets upon the grass. (Deuteronomy 32:2).
When Moses calls out to the heavens, the first thing that he asks is for his teachings to fall like rain. On this Sabbath of returning home to ourselves, may we have the wisdom to share the values within our Torah, providing nourishing rain to a parched world.
Parsha Haazinu – הַאֲזִינוּ Torah Summary:
Moses sings his last song, a love poem to God and a chastisement of the people, who are not worthy of Adonai. (32:1–6) The poem recounts the blessings that God has bestowed on the Israelites, the wicked deeds they have committed, and the punishments that God then inflicted upon them. (32:7–43) God tells Moses to begin his ascent of Mount Nebo, from where he will see the Land of Israel from a distance but will not be allowed to enter it. (32:45–52) Haazinu – הַאֲזִינוּ יַעֲרֹ֤ף כַּמָּטָר֙ לִקְחִ֔י תִּזַּ֥ל כַּטַּ֖ל אִמְרָתִ֑י כִּשְׂעִירִ֣ם עֲלֵי־דֶ֔שֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִ֖ים עֲלֵי־עֵֽשֶׂב׃ May my teaching come down like rain, my speech drop like dew, like showers on seed sprouts, like droplets upon the grass. (Deuteronomy 32:2). When Moses calls out to the heavens, the first thing that he asks is for his teachings to fall like rain. On this Sabbath of returning home to ourselves, may we have the wisdom to share the values within our Torah, providing nourishing rain to a parched world.Yom Rishon shel Rosh Hashanah (Genesis 22:1-19)
/in Torah TidbitThis Week’s Torah Portion: Yom Rishon shel Rosh Hashanah – יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה (Genesis 22:1-19)
I love Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the new year for all the possibilities it holds.
Rosh Hashanah is about Tikkun – repairing the world and ourselves. We would like the ability to repair ourselves, to be better, and to make our world better. Our tradition teaches that Jews are never satisfied with what is, always believe that it can be better. And that this depends on us. This is our responsibility.
When we pray and say, “we were guilty, we betrayed,” we are saying that we are not perfect, but we are working on it. We look at our failures as individuals and as a society to see how we can improve and get better. Change.
This is just the beginning. From this, it is possible and appropriate to take responsibility, to act to lead to internal and external change, to growth. Recognizing what still requires correction allows us to grow.
Parsha Yom Rishon shel Rosh Hashanah – יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה Summary:
Rosh Hashanah Morning, Day 1 (Genesis 21) (Many Reform congregations omit this portion, and read Genesis 22 on Rosh Hashanah, Day 1.) Sarah, who has longed for a child for many years, conceives a child with Abraham and gives birth to Isaac, meaning “one who laughs.” Isaac’s birth fulfills Gods promise that they will bear a son who will grow to be a generation. As Isaac grows into his boyhood, Sarah is conflicted by the presence of her servant Hagar and her son Ishmael that she conceived with Abraham and Hagar is banished from the home. God visits Hagar in the wilderness her, promises that Ishmael will also grow into a great nation, and tenderly provides water for the mother and son. Ishmael grows to adulthood and is married. This portion is a reminder that God’s promises are kept, and God’s compassion extends beyond the tents of our people. Rosh Hashanah Morning, Day 2 (Genesis 22) (Many Reform congregations read this portion on Rosh Hashanah, Day 1.) This portion is commonly known as The Akeidah, or “the binding.” In these terse and tense verses, the subject matter touches upon God, the nature of faith, and the demands faith may make of us. God calls upon Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a supreme test of faith. Abraham, God’s loyal servant, agrees. Just as Abraham is about to offer his son up as a sacrifice, an angel calls out to him, instructing him not to harm the boy, and Abraham sacrifices a ram in place of his son. For the ancient reader this may have served as a rejection of human sacrifice, a practice of ancient Israel’s neighbors. For the modern reader, perhaps one is called upon to consider one’s own tests and sacrifices. The haftarah (1 Samuel 1:1-2:10) Tells the story how Hannah prayed to God for a child, and how her prayer was answered with subsequent birth of Samuel. om Rishon shel Rosh Hashanah – יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה I love Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the new year for all the possibilities it holds. Rosh Hashanah is about Tikkun – repairing the world and ourselves. We would like the ability to repair ourselves, to be better, and to make our world better. Our tradition teaches that Jews are never satisfied with what is, always believe that it can be better. And that this depends on us. This is our responsibility. When we pray and say, “we were guilty, we betrayed,” we are saying that we are not perfect, but we are working on it. We look at our failures as individuals and as a society to see how we can improve and get better. Change. This is just the beginning. From this, it is possible and appropriate to take responsibility, to act to lead to internal and external change, to growth. Recognizing what still requires correction allows us to grow.