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Dinah’s Legacy
Twenty years ago, as a fourth-year rabbinic student, I gave my senior sermon on Parashat Vayishlach. The sermon focused on the rape of Dinah and the prevalence of violence against women in modern times. As I had the opportunity to reflect on this parsha again, I started to consider what has changed since 2001 and what has stayed the same.
Showing Kindness
This week's Torah portion presents us with the matriarch of kindness, Rebecca. It is timely, as we celebrated World Kindness Day on November 13.
God’s Favorites
The Torah portion this week shows the effects of choosing one person over another. As a rabbi educator, I know that investing in every member of the community and ensuring they know they are valued contributes to our ability to thrive and grow.
Why Do We Exist?
We see glimpses of Rebecca's inner dialogue at the beginning and end of this week's Torah portion. In the opening verses of Parashah Tol'dot, Rebecca becomes pregnant with twins.
Cultivating Hope
The portion Vayeira (God appeared) provides us with several examples of how we can change our world. This portion contains pain and turmoil including infertility, destruction of an entire community, the abandonment of a young mother and her child, and a test of faith through child sacrifice.
Evolving Justice
I was recently called to jury service in Los Angeles. As imperfect as this complicated, human system of law may be, the jury selection made me proud to be an American, especially as the judge instructed the potential jurors about the meaning of “presumed innocent.”
Morality in War, Then and Now
We begin our parashah in the fortieth, and thus, final year of Israel's desert trek toward the Promised Land. The people are encamped on the eastern side of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.
Preaching on the Haftarah and Reassessing Tishah B’Av
Parashat Mas’ei is the concluding reading from the biblical Book of Numbers and is filled with a wealth of historical detail. This year, the Shabbat on which we read Mas’ei comes at the beginning of month of Av.