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Prayer: Invitation and Outcry

Oct 16, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), with many organizations and agencies working together to spread awareness and the understanding that this scourge is endemic in modern society—and that no religion and no sector of society is exempt. My friend and colleague Rabbi Lisa Gelber, associate dean of The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary, was invited by FaithTrust Institute to write the “Universal Prayer” for the call of unity that opened DVAM, and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (which convened the call) then created artwork to frame the prayer on a flyer. The prayer has found wide acceptance and recognition.

A Hand to Hold

Oct 16, 2013 By Joel Alter | Commentary | Vayera

Her beautiful 16-year-old Ishmael lying whimpering nearby from mortal thirst and her own death close at hand, Hagar—in Genesis 21:15–18—is about as pitiable as one might imagine.

God As an Ally

Oct 9, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Lekh Lekha

A journey of four thousand years begins with God’s command to Abraham.

Words of Prayer: New and Old

Oct 9, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

“What Page Are We on in the Prayer Book Blues” is a lighthearted song made famous by a pair of Orthodox artists in the 1980s called the Megama Duo (start at 3 minutes and 22 seconds in the linked video). The song would never have become as (in)famous as it was if the experience of “not being able to find the place” was unfamiliar. But, on the contrary, we have all been there, and it’s good to laugh at, and with, ourselves. When we do find the place in our prayer books, we see lines and paragraphs and pages of text, and it is often hard to find ourselves in the words.

What’s in a Name?

Oct 9, 2013 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Lekh Lekha

What’s in a name? Quite a lot, but you need to know the story.

The Noah of Genesis and the Noah of the Rabbis

Oct 1, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Noah

Parashat Noah, the Torah reading for this coming Shabbat, is renowned for the annual debate on Noah’s character that is sparked by the opening verse.

Why Did God Flood the World?

Oct 1, 2013 By Alan Cooper | Commentary | Noah

The end of Parashat Bereishit finds God regretting the creation of humankind and resolving to wipe it out along with “beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky” (Gen. 6:7). A note of optimism creeps into the concluding verse (6:8), however, with the statement that Noah, whose birth and naming were noted in 5:29, “found favor” with God.

Simhat Torah: Which Way When the Circle Ends

Sep 23, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Simhat Torah

The annual celebration of Simhat Torah brings great joy to so many of us of all generations, and it is a fitting and triumphant conclusion to the long and multifaceted season of intense Jewish observance and focus that began (a little before Rosh Hashanah) with Selichot. In Israel and in congregations observing a single day of festivals, Simhat Torah is blended with Shemini Atzeret, offering the intense experience in the morning of Hallel, Hakkafot (processions with dancing) and Geshem (the prayer for Rain).

Mastery = Harmony

Sep 22, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Bereishit

This coming Shabbat, we return to the beginning of Torah with Parashat Bereishit.

Bereishit with a Capital Bet

Sep 22, 2013 By David Marcus | Commentary | Bereishit

With this week’s parashah, we once again commence the cycle of reading the Torah from the first chapter of Genesis, which begins with the Hebrew word bereishit.

The Ritual of Waters

Sep 16, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Sukkot

The festival of Sukkot is known as Z’man Simhateinu, the time of our rejoicing.

Welcome Guests—Visible and . . .

Sep 16, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Sukkot

The sukkah is fragile and temporary, yet stands as a symbol of joy and celebration. Rabbi Reuven Hammer, in his commentary Or Hadash (Siddur Sim Shalom, 331), reminds us of a debate about the meaning of Leviticus 23:43 (“You shall live in Sukkot for seven days . . . in order that future generations will recall that I made the Israelite People dwell in Sukkot when I brought them out of Egypt”): “Rabbi Eliezer said that [these sukkot] were clouds of glory and Rabbi Akiba said they were actual huts (B. Sukkah 11b).”

The Fruits of Close Reading

Sep 16, 2013 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Sukkot

“In order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:43).

The Discipline of Atonement

Sep 11, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Yom Kippur

This coming Shabbat culminates the period of aseret yamei teshuvah, the ten days of repentance, as we commemorate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Taking What Isn’t Ours

Sep 11, 2013 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Yom Kippur

It’s not literally a skeleton in my closet, but I was still upset to find it hanging there.

Ne‘ilah: Final Closing, or Not Quite?

Sep 11, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Yom Kippur

“P’tach lanu sha’ar” (Keep open the gate for us) are the words of a fragment of a piyyut attributed to Elazar Kallir (6th century, Land of Israel) [see the Rabbinical Assembly’s Mahzor Lev Shalem, 414].

Zichronot (Memories)

Sep 3, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Rosh Hashanah

In the three great themes of Rosh Hashanah, the encounter with memories (zichronot) is nestled between the power of sovereignty (malchuyot) and the triumphant, enigmatic sound of the shofar (shofarot). Zichronot reminds us that each of us is remembered, that our acts are significant, that we come, each of us individually, into the divine presence. In spite of the massive processing power of our machines, there are problems that cannot be solved—even if every computer on earth were to be harnessed in parallel.

It’s All Torah

Sep 3, 2013 By Danielle Upbin | Commentary | Ha'azinu

Years ago, when I was a student living in the mystical city of Safed in Israel’s Northern District, a teacher of mine asked our group of young seekers, “What is the most important book in your life?”

Finding God and Ourselves Anew

During the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we devote ourselves to the process of repentance, attempting to tip the balance in our favor as we approach the Day of Atonement.

Selichot: Body, Soul . . . “Will You Hear My Voice?”

Aug 28, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

This coming Saturday night in (Ashkenazi) synagogues around the world, congregations gather for the beginning of Selichot, the prayers and poems that inspire and guide us to seek forgiveness. Many of us will spend hours in the coming weeks turning through pages of ancient (and modern) words, hearing melodies and chants that have served so well as the pathway for the journey of the soul.

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