Category: Uncategorized
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Parasha Naso: A Very Special Blessing
In 1979, archeologist Gabrielle Barklay set out on a routine dig outside of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. He was interested in uncovering evidence of activities that would take place outside of the ancient city of Jerusalem – quarrying of stones, military encampments, growing of vegetables, burials, roads and military watch towers.…
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Bamidbar: Ya Gotta Have Heart
Whether you are a child beginning studies in our own Congregation Beth Shalom Religious School, or an adult studying at an Israeli Ulpan, one of the first Hebrew words that you will learn is a word used over 600 times in the Bible. That word is “rosh”, or “head”. Our parasha this week begins with…
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Behukotai — Scared Straight
This week’s parasha has to be the most difficult Torah reading of the entire year. It is the final chapter in the Book of Leviticus. The Jewish people are still settled around Mount Sinai. They have been given many of the commandments that they are to follow as they look forward to leaving their encampment…
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Parasha BeHar — Getting Second Chances
Last Saturday night, as we left the synagogue following Havdalah, we were greeted by a Full Moon rising above the treetops in the East. To the right of the moon shone the planet Mars, with even its reddish tint visible to the naked eye. Looking up, I was reminded that at the last Full…
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The Impossible Mitzvah — A Belated Sermon for Mother's Day
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was bet that he could not write a novel in just six words. He wrote, “For sale, baby shoes, never worn.” Larry Smith, a journalist, published a book called, OY, Only Six? Why not More? Six Word Memoirs on Jewish Life.” In that book, which contains 360 personal takes…
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Parasha Tazria — Getting Along with Your Brother or Sister
[The following sermon was written with our third graders, who participated in our Friday night services, in mind.] I don’t know how many of our students in the third grade know who Sonia Sotomayor is. Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Judge appointed to the United States Supreme Court. She was appointed in 2009 by…
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Parasha Shemini — Traditions Lost and Found
I’m pretty certain that the sages who are responsible for the text of the Torah scroll knew nothing about April Fools’ Day. But every once in a while, a person reading the Torah has to stop and wonder. For example, in the Book of Numbers there is an upside down pair of the Hebrew letter…
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Parasha Tzav: The Anointed One
Once again, the entire world looked on in horror this week as terrorist attacks struck the city of Brussels. This past year alone we have seen violence, destruction and an unspeakable disregard for innocent human beings seemingly everywhere – from the intractable conflicts in Iraq and Syria, to Libya and Africa, to Paris and San…
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Vayikra — Making Sacrifices
Years back I heard of a congregation that read only from the first book and a half of the Torah– Genesis and half of Exodus, Shabbat morning. As you know, traditionally, we read from all Five Books of the Torah in the course of our weekly Sabbath morning services. The reason this congregation read only…
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Parasha Pekudai — Struggling With Our Evil Inclination
President Ronald Reagan famously exclaimed, “Trust, but verify”. The phrase is actually a saying from the Russian language. Historians tell us that President Reagan used it often in his arms control negotiations with Michael Gorbachev in the 1980s. “Trust, but verify could be the title of this week’s parasha. As you recall, Moses has been…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 