By Rabbi Nancy KastenParashat Vayelekh None of us lives forever. We pray to be written into the Book of Life for the coming year while knowing that death is inescapable.…

By Rabbi Howard WolkParashat Nitzavim The Torah portion of Nitzavim is invariably read on the last Shabbat of the year. “Atem nitzavim ha-yom kulchem… — You are standing, before your…

By Rabbi Dan Lewin We are deep into the Jewish month of Elul, which is regarded as the preparatory period for the Days of Awe ahead. But more than a…

By Rabbi Stephen FischParashat Ki Tetse Our Torah portion for this week, Ki Tetse, is filled with mitzvot which apply to us today as much as they did in Biblical…

By Rabbi Debra RobbinsParashat Shoftim In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Shoftim, the text’s well-known, seemingly repetitive injunction, “tzedek tzedek tirdof, justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20), demands we…

By Rabbi Dan Lewin In the peak of summertime, when excitement and thirst for pleasurable vacations run wild, there is an old Jewish custom to counteract any negative effects by…

By Rabbi Matt RuttaParashat Ekev There is a great scene in Woody Allen’s hilarious movie “Annie Hall” in which Allen is standing in line for a movie with his date,…

By Rabbi Brian ZimmermanParashat V’etchanan In what is one of the most remarkable Torah portions, Moses begs to be allowed into the land of Israel. Told by God that nothing…

By Rabbi Dan LewinParashat Devarim There are days, weeks and months in the Jewish calendar that are reserved for certain emotions, where a distinctly spiritual flavor fills the air, coupled…

By Rabbi Mordechai HarrisParashat Matot-Masei Throughout the book of Devarim we will frequently encounter Moses’ retelling of prior events, learning important lessons from the differences between Moshe’s recounting and the…