Marriage

Torrah and Kippah
Marriage

Blood and Sex: The Messy Stuff of Life

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Elyse Goldstein
For the life of all flesh — its blood is its life. Therefore I say to the Israelite people: You shall not partake of the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off. (Leviticus 17:14) The Book of Leviticus could be nicknamed "The Journal of Blood and Water." Throughout its chapters we find the words tamei — translated as "impure," and tahor — translated as "pure" — as markers of a system of taboos so strong, the penalty for daring to dismiss them is kareit, or "excommunication." The taboos for certain sexual practices are painstakingly outlined in chapter 18, the section of Acharei Mot that we read on this Shabbat.
Torrah and Kippah
Vayeishev

Practice Positive Pessimism and Partner with God

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Dr. Edwin C. Goldberg
Most of us have grown up with the power of positive thinking. We've been warned about negative outlooks and what popular psychologists call "catastrophizing." To have a successful outcome when facing a problem, we're told that we need to avoid the bad and focus on the good.
Torrah and Kippah
Marriage

God as Matchmaker

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Dr. Edwin C. Goldberg
With so many matchmaking and online dating services, it's no surprise that people are looking for love, but as a recent Pew study 1 shows, their search results in marriage less and less often. That's because relationships of any kind are seldom easy.
Torrah and Kippah
Fasting

Yom Kippur All Year Long

D'Var Torah By: Charles P. Sherman
In the first part of this week's parashah, Acharei Mot/K'doshim, the Torah's fullest description of Yom Kippur appears. (Leviticus 16:2-34) But Holy Days, holidays, and festivals develop and evolve as human life changes.