Vayikra el Moshe va’yedaber YHVH eilav me’ohel moed YHVH called to Moses, and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting (Leviticus 1:1) For the modern reader, the Book of Leviticus appears to be an odd and even unwelcome intrusion into the grand saga of our ancestors. After the satisfying conclusion of the Book of […]
Author Archive | Rabbi Jonathan
Vayakhel-Pekudei: Realizing Our True Nature
Va’yomer Moshe el B’nei Yisrael: “Re’u, kara YHVH b’shem Betzalel, ben Uri, ben Hur, l’mateh Yehudah, va’yemaleh oto ru’ach Elohim b’chochmah bi’t’vunah u’v’da’at u’v’chol melacha.” And Moses said to the Children of Israel: “See, the Creator has singled out by name Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, endowing him […]
Ki Tisa: Encountering God
V’atah, im na matzati chen b’einecha, hodi’eni na et d’rachecha, v’eida’acha [Moses said,] “And now, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me know your ways, that I may know you…” (Exodus 33:13) Vayomer “Hareini na et k’vodecha!” And [Moses] said, “Please, let me behold Your Presence!” (Exodus 33:18) How does […]
V’zot Ha’bracha: Moses Teaches Us How To Die
(This piece is adapted from a talk I delivered on Yom Kippur, 1997) V’zot ha’bracha asher berach Moshe, ish ha’elohim, et B’nai Yisrael lifnei moto. This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, bade the Children of Israel farewell before he died. (Deuteronomy 33:1) That poignant line opens the very last portion […]
Honoring the Life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
When moral giants depart from the world – in Hebrew we call them tzaddikim, tzaddikot – they leave a legacy of inspiration for us. This year we Americans lost two moral giants, Congressman John Lewis this past July and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Erev Rosh Hashanah, just 9 days ago. Their lives, what they […]
Hagar, Ishmael and Black Lives Matter
This sermon was presented at Rosh Hashanah services at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation on September 19, 2020. Reflecting on the Torah portion that is read on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Jonathan compares Hagar’s anguish as her young son Ishmael is dying of thirst to that of Black mothers today who know they […]
Naso: Be a Channel of Blessing
Yevarechecha Adonai v’yishmerecha May the Source of Life bless you and protect you. (Numbers 6:24) The most ancient Jewish prayer that we still know and recite today appears in this week’s Torah portion. It is known as Birkat Cohanim – the Priestly Blessing and also as Birkat Hashalom – The Blessing of Peace: YHVH spoke […]
B’midbar: In the Wilderness
Va’yedaber YHVH el Moshe b’midbar Sinai b’ohel mo’ed b’echad la’chodesh ha’sheni bashanah ha’shenit l’tzeitam me’eretz Mitzrayim. YHVH spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month of the second year since leaving Egypt. (Numbers 1:1) So begins the fourth book of the Torah. […]
Shabbat Hagadol: Preparing for Passover
The Shabbat that precedes the beginning of Passover is known in our tradition as Shabbat Hagadol – The Great Sabbath. The first night of Passover this year falls next Friday night, so this Shabbat is Shabbat Hagadol. The exact origin of this title is not exactly clear, but it is probably drawn from the special […]
Ki Tisa: The Golden Calf
Vayikahel ha’am al Aharon vayomru eilav: “Kum aseh lanu elohim asher yelchu lefaneinu, ki zeh Moshe, ha’ish asher he’elunun me’eretz Mitzrayim, lo yadanu meh hayah lo!” The people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Do something! Make us a god who shall lead us, for that Moses, the man who brought us up out […]