Of Tractors and Tolerance

February 6, 2024 By Hebrew College

Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18) By Rabbi Max Edwards, Hebrew College Rabbinical School ’21 Parashat Mishpatim Exodus 18:1-20:23 The year was 1892, and John Froelich had just invented the first gasoline-powered tractor in Froelich, Iowa. Up until this moment, agricultural production required heavy lifting and large animals, namely horses, mules, and oxen. I grew up surrounded by farms, but not on one myself. My grandpa, however, grew up on a farm, surrounded by Yiddish-speaking immigrants who didn’t know from English nor... Read more

The Broken Promise

January 31, 2024 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

Parashat Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23) by Jessica Spencer, Hebrew College Rabbinical School ’24 How do we cope when the world tips beneath us, when that which we thought would always be true changes in a moment? For many of us, October 7 shattered our beliefs about the world. When promises break, the breach can cut us off from our convictions and leave us adrift in newfound despair. In Parashat Yitro, God makes one such promise. וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ... Read more

This is My God

January 24, 2024 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

Parashat Beshalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16) By Rabbi Frankie Sandmel I’ve been carrying an image with me over the past few months, as I feel acutely aware of the impact this period of ongoing violence has on Israeli and Palestinian children. The image is of a small child’s hand pointing up, and saying, “This is my God, and I will praise Him – ze eili v’anveihu,” while waves rush around them, holding back, so that they may cross on dry land. The image arises... Read more

Chasing Darkness

January 16, 2024 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

Parashat Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16) By Rabbi Tyler Dratch Two weeks before Pesach this year, those living in the Eastern United States will be able to look up into the sky and witness a total solar eclipse. Tens of thousands of Americans, known as eclipse-chasers, or by the scientific term, umbraphiles, will travel to the centerline of the eclipse to experience a few moments of complete darkness. This is an experience that they describe as full of deep mystery and spirituality.... Read more

Don’t Let Our Heavy Hearts Grow Hard

January 8, 2024 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

Parashat Vaera (Exodus 6:2-9:35) By Rabbi Jordan Braunig Last week, while discussing something that had little to do with human anatomy, my middle child mentioned that the human heart is only the size of a fist. I am used to getting odd facts from my kids, but somehow this random piece of information stuck with me. All through the week, I imagined a fist of flesh within my chest. When I was walking up the hill toward our house, when... Read more

When The Narrow Place Is Refuge

January 3, 2024 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1:1-6:1) By Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman In the middle of my house, hanging between my living and dining rooms, is a blue lycra therapy swing. When the world overwhelms me, when my body is jittery, when my eyes ache with the slightest light and my ears from the slightest sound, I fold my body into this swing. It curls up and around me, like a hug from all sides. I close my eyes. I wrap my arms... Read more

Who is Joseph?

December 18, 2023 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

Parashat Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) By Naomi Gurt Lind These past few parashiot, we have been deeply engaged with Joseph, that maddening, inspiring, outsized personality whose story looms large over both Genesis and Exodus and yet who remains nameless in our liturgy. That in itself is curious, that he gets four parashiot (maybe four and a half) and yet not a word in our daily prayers. Who is this fascinating and difficult character? Joseph has a rich and complicated emotional life... Read more

How to Predict the Present

December 11, 2023 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

By Rabbi Matthew Ponak Parashat Miketz (Genesis 41:1-44:17) What a gift it would be to see into the future! And yet, in reality, most of us are barely able to gain clarity on what is happening right now. This human life is so precious. Gathering around the menorah with loved ones this time of year is one way we can really feel it. The glow of the Hanukkah candles reminds us of the light that is present even in the darkness... Read more

We Are Still In Mourning

December 3, 2023 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

Parashat Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) By Rabbi Avi Killip We are still in mourning. In the days after Oct 7th, the Jewish people were in shock. That shock slowly twisted itself into grief over the first few weeks. As the thirty day mark approached, Jewish leaders began to question how and whether to mark the occasion as an end to shloshim. In traditional Jewish mourning, when a month has passed after a death, we begin to ease ourselves out of the... Read more

Our Spiritual Legacy: Torah, Lovingkindness, Struggle, Uncertainty

November 28, 2023 By Hebrew College

0 Comments

By Rabbi Becky Silverstein Parashat Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43) Lately, I’ve been thinking about the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” I find myself wondering: How many baskets should you have? Will you be carrying the eggs or storing them? Are these real eggs and baskets or metaphorical ones? And in any event, what is your goal? When does it make sense to heed this wisdom and separate our eggs, and when might we need to put all... Read more