by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
We begin Parashat Vayera with Abraham greeting his three visitors, while he is recuperating from his brit milah, circumcision, at the age of 99. Sarah...
by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
Some of us were born with a sense of direction and some of us, even with the incredible invention of a GPS, still get lost, even if they have been to the destination before....
by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
Parashat Noach ends with the story of the Tower of Babel. The people who originally all spoke the same language, decide to try to build a tower so high, so that...
by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields
As we begin the new book of Genesis, Sefer Bereshit, with Parashat Bereshit, our Torah reading provides us with many ideas that help us be strong and courageous...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This is the final parashah of the Torah. It is never read on Shabbat, only on Simchat Torah. It is a mirror image of Parashat Vayechi, the last Parashah at...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This parashah consists of Moses’ final song to the nation, his farewell message. In it, he offers praise to God for all that God has done for the nation and exhorts the...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Moses is now 120 years old; God has told him he will not cross over the Jordan. Joshua will lead them in his place, and God will go with them as they enter the land, destroying the...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Moses calls together the entire nation to hear the end of his third and final speech: the men, children, wives, and strangers all gather to enter into the covenant. They...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Moses again exhorts the people to keep God’s commandments “with all your heart and soul” (26:16). Just as “You have declared the Lord to be your God,” he says, “the Lord has declared...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Moses reminds the nation of many of God’s commandments. Several concern marriage: a woman taken captive in war shaves her head, cuts her nails, and mourns her parents for a month...