Striking out in all the wrong places

Last updated on: June 27, 2023 at 11:33 am By Hebrew College

Parashat Chukat-Balak (Numbers 19:1-25:9) Rabbi Shani Rosenbaum The sequence of parashiyot that follows us through early summer—Korach, Chukat, Balak—is saturated in disappointment and its aftermath. One by one, we watch our heroes succumb to a plot thread so common it feels like TV: character experiences significant loss; then, in predictable yet always cringe-inducing fashion, said character proceeds to lose it about something totally trivial at an unsuspecting innocent. See the rebels in our previous parashah, Korach. Their complaint to Moses... Read more

An Unexpected Master-Disciple Relationship: Rev. Howard Thurman & Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Last updated on: June 26, 2023 at 1:55 pm By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Or Rose Earlier this week, approximately 150 people—from over 20 countries—gathered in Boston for the annual conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ). The meeting was hosted by Boston College and my institution, Hebrew College. The conference theme was “Negotiating Multiple Identities: Implications for Interreligious Relations,” and our meeting coincided with the national holiday of Juneteenth. One highlight of the ICCJ conference for me was our visit to the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground of Boston University (BU). There, we... Read more

Open My Eyes to Your Wonders

Last updated on: June 12, 2023 at 9:49 am By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi David Maayan Parashat Shelach L’cha (Numbers 13:1-15:41) “Who lit the wonder before our eyes and the wonder of our eyes?” With these words, R. Abraham Joshua Heschel evokes the profound sense of wonder at the world that we see as well as the wonder of the experience of our seeing itself. This week’s parashah opens with the story of the twelve spies whom Moses sends to scout out the Land of Israel. What Jewish tradition refers to as “the sin of... Read more

Of Comings, Goings, and Jewish Goodbyes

Last updated on: June 6, 2023 at 11:03 am By Hebrew College

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By Rav Hazzan Ken Richmond Parashat Beha’alotecha (Numbers 8:1-12:16) I participate in morning minyan at my synagogue almost every day. The experience and routine is meaningful but generally unremarkable. But two moments stood out to me last week, which are related to the journeys—the comings and the goings—in this week’s Torah portion. The first moment took place during a Torah service. Each time we read Torah, we bracket the Torah reading with the two verses from our portion, Beha’alotecha that are themselves bracketed by mysterious... Read more

Hidden in Plain Sight

Last updated on: May 30, 2023 at 1:38 pm By Hebrew College

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By Heather Renetzky Parashat Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89) The first time I ever read Parashat Naso was in preparation for my Bat Mitzvah. As a curious 12-year-old, there was a lot in this Torah portion that could have caught my eye: The instructions for how we can repair wrongdoings (Numbers 5:6-9), the baffling Sota ritual (I remember looking up what “adultery” meant), the very specific commitments of the Nazarite. But the thing I got stuck on was not any of the flashier parts... Read more

Becoming Torah

Last updated on: May 23, 2023 at 10:52 am By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Avi Strausberg `15 A Drasha for Shavuot As a rabbi and someone who genuinely loves learning Jewish text, I am fortunate to learn a lot of Torah. Over the last 15 years, my learning has taken me from the midrash of Israeli feminists to the hasidic writings of Kedushat Levi, from the stories of our ancient rabbis in the pages of Gemara to modern poetry on God and revelation. And, yet I wonder: To what extent has my learning made an... Read more

Dolphin Skins and Aluminum Foil: A Legacy of Wanderers

Last updated on: May 15, 2023 at 3:11 pm By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Shira Shazeer Parashat Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20) I don’t like packing. While there is something satisfying about the moment when I am done packing, it rarely outweighs the unpleasantness of the task itself. Having fewer occasions that require packing was perhaps one of the silver linings of the pandemic. When my family prepares for a journey, though everyone helps gather things, I do more than my share of the planning and the actual work of loading things into suitcases, boxes... Read more

On Fear…

Last updated on: May 11, 2023 at 8:54 am By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Becky Silverstein Parashat Behar-Bechukotai (Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34) Being human is not easy. I carry this thought with me constantly. It lives in my heart as I watch my kids try to learn new things or express their feelings with words instead of big actions. It lives in my head as I learn new texts. It lives in my body as I work to parent, facilitate, lead, teach, and be in a world filled with overwhelming suffering and deep beauty. Being... Read more

Speaking of Death at Sinai and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe

Last updated on: May 2, 2023 at 3:46 pm By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Joey Glick Parashat Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23) Mr. Rogers, Daniel Tiger, God, and Moses share a problem this week: how do we talk about death with those we love. In the summer of 1968, Fred Rogers noticed something troubling. In the wake of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, Mr. Rogers worried about children becoming traumatized by what they heard from grownups and from what they watched on the evening news. It was increasingly impossible... Read more

Invitation to Holiness

Last updated on: April 24, 2023 at 9:38 am By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Avi Killip Parashat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:1-20:27) Parashat Kedoshim is beautiful and very full. There is much to see on the surface. In just two chapters of Leviticus, we are told to care for the poor, to be honest, to never take revenge nor bear a grudge. We are told when and how to give sacrifices, keep Shabbat, and what we are permitted to eat. We are told how to guard relationships, how to treat our animals and how to harvest... Read more