A D’var Torah for 4 Kislev 5787, 14 November 2026 Genesis 25:19–28:9 There are moments in life when the greatest act of courage is not standing our ground, but knowing when to move forward. There are times when the pursuit of peace requires more strength than confrontation, and when faithfulness…

A golden, braided challah has become one of the most recognizable images of Shabbat. It appears in photographs, illustrations, synagogue announcements, and family memories. For many of us, its familiar shape and slightly sweet flavor are part of the pleasure of welcoming the seventh day. That association is so strong…

A D’var Torah for 2 Elul 5786, 15 August 2026 Parashat Shoftim asks how power can serve a people without consuming them. Judges must judge fairly. Witnesses must speak truthfully. A king must submit to the Torah and remember that the people he governs are his brothers. Those who claim…

Throughout Jewish history, our people have produced remarkable scholars, philosophers, scientists, commentators, and spiritual teachers whose ideas have shaped the development of Judaism. Some became widely accepted authorities, while others challenged the prevailing assumptions of their contemporaries. Many were celebrated in one generation and criticized in another. Together, their writings…

Judaism is one faith, one covenant, and one religious civilization, but it has never been culturally uniform. A Jew entering a synagogue in Warsaw, Fez, Aleppo, Rome, Sana’a, Tehran, or Cochin would recognize the Torah scroll, the Shema, the Amidah, Shabbat, the festivals, circumcision, marriage, mourning, and the basic structure…

A D’var Torah for 25 Av 5786, 8 August 2026 There are moments when doing what is right seems straightforward. We understand our responsibilities and recognize the choice before us. At other times, appearances confuse us. Something may look religious without being faithful to God. A familiar practice may feel…

Few figures in Jewish intellectual history occupy a place as uncomfortable, fascinating, and consequential as Baruch Spinoza. To some, he was the first great secular Jew, a courageous defender of reason who refused to surrender his conscience to religious authority. To others, he was an apostate philosopher whose writings denied…

For much of history, Jewish civilization has been described primarily as a civilization of words. Torah, commentary, prayer, poetry, philosophy, law, and storytelling occupy such an important place in Jewish culture that it is easy to imagine Judaism as almost deliberately detached from the visual arts. Christianity filled its churches…

A Torah-Centered Approach to Rest, Holiness, and Modern Life Shabbat is one of the enduring signs of the covenant between God and Israel. Each week, we set aside the seventh day, cease from our work, and acknowledge that our lives belong to something greater than production, consumption, and the demands…

A D’var Torah for 18 Av 5786, 1 August 2026 A man once came to synagogue after many years away from Jewish life. He stood near the back, uncertain when to sit, when to stand, and where to find the prayers in the siddur. His Hebrew was poor, and more…