By Rabbi Elisha Herb, Rab`16 “Dad – that’s Gaia,” Noah insisted. My oldest child and I had taken to demonology and monsters in Judaism and came across a passage in Tishby’s Wisdom of the Zohar in which the Shekhina is depicted as a raging, Godzilla like figure, unimaginably powerful, destroying demonic forces and avenging the evil done to her children. For Noah, immersed in Rick Riordan books, the image was the same as those of Gaia, the Earth Mother, from Greek and Roman... Read more
Parashat Vayechi (Genesis 47:28–50:26) By Rabbi Salem Pearce Parashat Vayechi offers a conclusion to one of the most disturbing accounts in Torah, the rape of Dinah in Parashat Vayishlach. Dinah’s story spans one chapter, plunked into the middle of Jacob’s travels from Padan-Aram back to his birthplace in Canaan, and it ends as abruptly as it begins. Genesis 33 concludes with Jacob and his family encamped near the city of Shechem. In Genesis 34, we’re told that the local prince,... Read more
While talking with a couple of other dads from my community, we found ourselves commiserating about how much more we wanted to be involved in work for social change. The reason we couldn’t do so, we all agreed, was parenting. None of us complained about time spent with family – we were happily gathered with our toddlers and spouses at a Hanukkah get together – but we wished we could do both. The conversation struck a deep chord in me.... Read more
Parashat MIketz (Genesis 41:4-44-17) By Rabbi Leora Abelson A caravan makes its way through the desert. Exhausted and hungry, families travel from a place of hardship and make their way towards hope and uncertainty. Traveling towards a land of plenty, a land of opportunity, they seek the well-being, the survival, of their families. They know not what awaits them at their destination: welcome or hostility. They are prepared to offer everything they have in exchange for food, for safety. Will... Read more
Parashat Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43) By Rabbi Daniel Schaefer Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday. More of my family gathers together in one place than at any other time of the year. We fill our bellies, share stories, give thanks, and fill our bellies again. Unfortunately, as with most areas of our lives, technology has slowly crept into our family celebration. Let me recap the last 12 years, with a brief timeline of family gatherings in the technology age: 2006 –... Read more
Parashat Va-Yetze (Genesis 28:10-32:3) By Rabbi Jordan Schuster I’ve been thinking about John Keats lately. About how he died at the age of 25. About how so much of his life up to that point was spent contemplating a way out of this world. Beauty, imagination, sleep – these were his exits and escapes. These were the paths he used to transcend reality, to free himself from the cruelty, the violence, the brokenness of this world. He writes in his “Ode... Read more
Parashat Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9) By Rabbi Adam Lavitt A man in an elevator repeatedly presses the close button as a woman outside shares her story of sexual assault. T’ruah recently convened a group of rabbis and cantors in conversation with Ana Maria Archila, one of the women who confronted Senator Jeff Flake in that powerful moment. During our conversation, someone spoke about Dr. Ford’s courage, and the cautious optimism they felt leading up to the hearing. And then the silence... Read more
Parashat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18) Mah anachnu, meh chayeinu, meh chasdeinu, mah tzidkateinu, mah yeshuateinu, mah cohenu, mah gevuroteinu… the rhythm of the Hebrew words picks up speed as I move through the morning blessings. What are we? What is our life? What is our loving-kindness? What is our righteousness? What is our salvation? What is our strength? What is our might? The parallelism in the English underscores the urgency of the questions. Who are we? What is our purpose... Read more
Parashat Vayera (Genesis 18:1-22:24) The call to protest grows larger each day. From the women’s march in Washington in January 2016 to the climate change rallies around the world, to the #MeToo movement and anti-sexual harassment demonstrations, to vigils protesting the separation of children from their parents in immigration detention. From concern at the rise in antisemitism worldwide, to outrage of the treatment of journalists uncovering truth in the face of unbridled power. We are overwhelmed at the work that... Read more
Parashat Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27) By Rabbi Elizabeth Bonney-Cohen He didn’t mean to… He wouldn’t have, if only… There was nothing he could have done to prevent it…It only happened because she was too… With these words, we subtly dismiss the perpetration of violence and subjugation inflicted on those least protected by our social and political systems. They all too easily roll off the tongue when we hear news of some horrific violation. Did you hear that she had been... Read more
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