Emma Lazarus
Emma Lazarus' poem, "The New Colossus," affixed to the base of the Statue of Liberty in 1903 (twenty-five years after her death), identifies this icon as the "Mother of Exiles." It took time for Lady Liberty to grow into this role.
Kabbalah: A Love Story
When is a predictable love story more than a predictable love story? When a teacher of mysticism like Rabbi Lawrence Kushner uses it as a parable.
The Six-Day War: The Breaking of the Middle East
For Jews of a certain age, June 5, 1967 is and always will be a date as familiar as one’s own birthday. It was on that day that Israel launched a preemptive strike in response to the mobilization of Egyptian forces along the Israeli border in the Sinai Peninsula and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War
In 1938, Hank Greenberg came three home runs shy of eclipsing Babe Ruth’s record of 60 homers in a season.
Stories We Tell: The Rabbi and the Monastery
Judaism has a deep and rich tradition of storytelling, of passing down stories from one generation to the next. To carry on that tradition, Stories We Tell, from ReformJudaism.org, will share a new story with you every Thursday.
Stories We Tell: Feeding Your Clothes
Judaism has a deep and rich tradition of storytelling, of passing down stories from one generation to the next. To carry on that tradition, Stories We Tell, from ReformJudaism.org, will share a new story with you every Thursday.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - B'midbar: Do Numbers Matter?
Do you know which countries have the largest population of Jewish people? What about how many Jews serve in the United States Congress?
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - B’har-B’chukotai: What the Torah Says About Being Green
For anyone who doubts that Judaism includes social and environmental justice, this week’s commentary on the double portion of B’har-B’chukotai sings forth that we have a fundamental responsibility to care for God’s Earth, and to be attentive to the neediest among us.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Emor: Gratitude, Obligation, and Responsibility: A Jewish Year with Abigail Pogrebin
Parashat Emor lays out the sacred calendar of the Jewish people as we know it in the Torah, and there’s no one better to discuss this parashah with Rabbi Jacobs than Abigail Pogrebin, author of the book “M
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Acharei Mot-K'doshim: The Torah's Take on Love
It’s another two-parashah week, and this time we’re reading about love. The phrase “love the stranger” appears in the Torah 36 times. Why is this phrase written so often, and who is the stranger?