As Jews around the world celebrate the intermediate days of Passover and Christians observed Easter Sunday, we are reminded that the freedom to worship in safety continues to elude all of us.  Another horrific act of terror has been carried out at houses of worship, this time at churches in Sri Lanka. Coordinated with other

The Exodus is the event that begins our history as a nation, and at Passover we are commanded to tell the story in a way that in every generation each person should feel as though he or she were redeemed from Egypt. Not only should we feel as if we participated, but we should understand

We continue the countdown of four special Shabbatot before Pesach. This week is the third, Shabbat Parah (Shabbat of the Cow). The additional Torah reading is from Numbers 19:1-22 and describes a ritual of purification involving the ashes of a red heifer. All Israelites came to the Temple in Jerusalem on Pesach in order to

Purim Sameach!!!!! Finally, it’s time for celebration full of joy and frivolity, merriment and self-mockery. While there is debate among historians about the veracity of the story of Purim, the story of Jews in exile living at the whims of their rulers is, unfortunately, often repeated in our history. With anti-Semitism on the rise, the

“Adonai calls to Moses saying, ‘speak to the Israelite people…’ So begins the Book of Leviticus, which is mostly about laws pertaining to priestly matters and the rituals of sacrifices to God. Vayikra, which we begin reading this week, teaches that all Israel must be educated regarding the priestly activities. Although the korbanot, the rituals

It may be too early for some, but for others the gathering of information and sorting of receipts in order to prepare tax filings has already begun. Although April 15th has no mention in Torah, it is somewhat fitting that “These are the records…” is how P’kudei, this week’s Torah portion, begins. The records referred

Participating in Temple life is about bringing God’s presence into our lives. In doing so, we must remember that Jewish values always guide our efforts. This week, in the last weekly Torah portion of the Book of Exodus, Vayak’heil, Moses reminds the Israelites that “On six days work may be done, but on the seventh

This is a week many, if not most of us, focus on Thanksgiving. Although not technically a “Jewish” holiday, there is much about the holiday that reflects Jewish teachings. Expressing gratitude for what is good in our lives is very much a Jewish value. Thanking God helps us appreciate what we have, rather than obsess

“There’s a lady who’s sure All that glitters is gold And she’s buying a stairway to heaven” Unlike the woman described above in the Led Zeppelin classic, the staircase in this week’s Torah portion, Vayeitzei, is not made of gold. Jacob is fleeing to Haran after tricking his father Isaac into giving him his brother Esau’s blessing. Jacob rests for

This week marks the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass,” which took place in Germany on November 9, 1938, and many consider the beginning of the Holocaust. Throughout Germany and the newly acquired territories of Austria and Sudetenland, Jews were attacked in the street, in their homes and at their places of