Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

Reuben and his family lived a simple life. They had a small farm which supplied all their needs, and occasionally a little extra. There was always food on the table, clothes for Reuben, his wife and his three daughters to wear, and a roof over their heads. Reuben and his wife, Sarah, worked hard six days a week, and enjoyed the Sabbath, truth be told, more by resting than by praying. They dwelt in a small community of similarly situated families, and seemed to live an idyllic existence. Read more...

By Western standards, Sukkot has to be the least spiritual festival. Rather than training ourselves to ignore the outside world, to see ourselves as merely passing through, Jews respond to the ancient story of liberation and wandering under God's protective care by accentuating the physical: we build booths made of plants, we wave palm fronts and carry large citrons, we feast together, we live in the outdoors. We celebrate and rejoice in our bodies and in this world. Read more...

Almost every Jew is familiar with the most terrifying moment in all of Jewish ritual practice. We prepare for it, knowing that it’s inevitable. We study, chant, pray, sing. As the dreaded moment approaches, we break into a sweat, smile bravely, as our heartbeat approaches Jane Fonda speed. Finally, the gabbai calls us up for an aliyah, one of the seven so honored by reciting the blessings before and after the reading of the Torah on Shabbat morning.  Read more...

For the last several weeks, rabbinic colleagues have been posting Facebook updates celebrating finished sermons (or bemoaning writer's block). Two rabbinic spouses (and a rabbi, aka me) met in Whole Food not an hour after havdalah on the Saturday night before Rosh HaShanah. Reviewing our shopping list one last time in the car Sunday morning with my husband to be sure we had gotten everything we needed, I said "I think we have everything. But I don't feel ready. I rarely if ever feel ready when Rosh HaShanah arrives." Read more...

As Shabbat approaches, I have to admit to what for some will come as a surprising statement coming from a rabbi. This week, I am already looking forward to havdalah, the time at the end of Shabbat when we distinguish between the Holy day and the rest of the week, saying goodbye to the sanctity of Shabbat, and entering into a new week. And, this week, this is compounded by the initiation of the High Holiday season through the recitation of the Selichot, the prayers which help introduce the tunes, themes, and thoughts of forgiveness and repentance. Read more...