D’var Torah by Rabbi Dave Levy: Director, Ramah Sports Academy During the Presidential Inauguration, I heard a sound that stopped me in my tracks. There was a lot to take in, pageantry, ceremony, history, but it was one little sound that got my attention. In the middle of everything, the microphones picked up a small […]
There are different contexts in which a handshake can be used, different messages that this simple and common gesture communicates depending on content and context. Perhaps a handshake is a simple hello between friends, a “good game” at the end of a competition, a gesture symbolizing an agreement has been made, an act of respect. […]
Jewish tradition likes to speak of two different types of mitzvot, or commandments. On the one hand there are mishpatim, injunctions that make sense and are rooted in reason. Absent the gift of Torah, individuals and communities hopefully would have figured out that prohibitions against murder and theft are necessary to create a civil society. […]
From the month of Elul through Yom Kippur, we undergo the process of teshuva, of self-reflection and repentance. For me, this time consists of checking in with myself by asking, “how can I repair my relationship with myself, or other people?” Much of this process is people focused. As I turn the corner from Yom […]
This week, in parsha Shelach, we will read about the mitzvah of titzit. Tzitzit are worn during worship and they offer a tangible reminder of all of the 613 commandments, they stand as an important symbol of who we are supposed to be. Tzitzit serve to remind us that everyone has Torah inside them – […]
By Bracha Hermon The first day we were home, I found myself crying in frustration. Breakfast bled into lunch, which bled into dinner. My two sons milled around and snacked incessantly. Popcorn covered our newly washed floors. They begged for hot chocolate and then walked around our small Jerusalem apartment with sticky mugs and sticky […]
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