My daughter was working on a French assignment – reading a previously unseen text and answering questions.  One of the questions provided the first sentence of a couplet and asked the student to write a rhyming second line. “When am I ever going to have to do...

Do you ever feel like the words you impart to your children hang in the air above them, never quite penetrating their brains (and conscience)?  I imagine them hanging there, floating like a balloon that slowly sinks to the ground as it deflates. And then trampled on...

This week’s double portion falls approximately in the middle of Leviticus, the middle of the 5 books of the Torah. And just about in the middle of this double parshah is the commandment – ve-ahavta le-re’ekha kamokha – love your fellow as you love yourself. Treat...

For this week, I would like to share the following D'var Torah by Yaffa Epstein. Yaffa Epstein lives in Jerusalem and is blessed to teach Talmud, Jewish Law, and Liturgy at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Yaffa is a recovering lawyer, and is currently poring...

D'VAR TORAH BY: ROBERT TORNBERG This week's parashah, Sh'mini, consists of three distinct parts that do not appear, on the surface, to relate directly to one to another. Let's begin by looking at a summary of each of these parts. The first section of this portion...

Many, many years ago, my husband and I would host the first Seder for our family in our apartment and then walk to Cooki’s house the next day to spend the second Seder with her family.  Cooki’s husband Barry was my PhD supervisor and my husband and I spent many...

This week's D'var Torah is brought to us by Deborah Gettes, a consultant for special needs education for the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education of Greater Philadelphia. Understanding the concept of korbanot gives us concrete ways to live our lives. To the...

This week’s parshah begins with the first gathering of the nation before Moses since the sin of the golden calf, its repercussions and ultimately, God’s forgiveness.  The first thing Moses says to them is: For a period of six days work may be done, but the seventh day...

This week, I'd like to share a D'var Torah from Kveller.com: What my daughter's favourite stuffed animal has to do with the golden calf Shabbat Shalom! Debbie  

With the start of the Olympics this week, there is a lot of talk about GOLD.  Sure, winning silver and bronze is better than no medal at all, but GOLD is the ultimate triumph. In this week’s parashah, Terumah, the Israelites are commanded to donate the materials for...