A Blessing for Going Off to Summer Camp
Every year we venture back to the place we were before
And though our lives may differ we share a bond forever more
All year we sit in classrooms and we have to wonder why
Our summers are so special at OSRUI.
Remembering From Where We Come: A Prayer for the LGBT Community
This piece of liturgy was originally written for the interfaith prayer service held prior to Los Angeles Pride Parade.The prayer memorializes those who have employed the various ways individuals can and have made a difference in promoting justice for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Shoah Memorial Prayer
This memorial prayer for those who perished in the Holocaust is the centerpiece of a six-prayer Yom HaShoah liturgy. It also appears in liturgist Alden Solovy’s book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.
Stories We Tell: The Wooden Sword
Podcast: Why Marriage Equality is a Reform Jewish Value
Hear why marriage equality is a Reform Jewish value.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Vayeilech: The Sacred Art of Letting Go
Parashat Vayeilech is read between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a time of transition for all of us. We've brought in the new year with hopes, prayers, and the shofar, and we look toward Yom Kippur, where we are tasked with letting go of the last year and moving forward.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Nitzavim: Standing for What Matters Most
At the beginning of Parashat Nitzavim, we hear the phrase, "Today you are all standing." This phrase isn't referring to people simply standing, it means that the Jewish people stood together and entered into a Covenant, affirming the things that matter most.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Haazinu: Between a Rock and Hard Place
Parashat Haazinu includes the word tzur, or rock, eight times. But in this case, tzur isn’t referring to just any rock; it’s referring to God, as the rock of Israel.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Sukkot and the Fragility of Life
Five days after Yom Kippur, we turn our gaze out to the world around us and take notice of the harvest season. Sukkot is a holiday that teaches us to appreciate what we have, while reminding us that life is fragile.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - B'reishit: Creationism vs Science: Which is the Truth?
This week we enter the beginning of a brand new cycle of Torah reading with a parashah that has become controversial in today’s political climate: B’reishit (in the beginning).