My Jewish Journey

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...

This week we have two very special guest bloggers, Dr. Barry Levy and his grandson, Judah Levy. Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Mishpatim contains one of the Torah's central legal texts. It is neither the first such text, nor the last, but several essential classes of law...

In this week’s parshah, the Israelites travel through the desert towards Mount Sinai.  There they prepare themselves to receive God’s Torah.  Moses’ father-in-law, Yitro, brings Moses’ wife and children to meet up with him, and he offers Moses the valuable advice of...

Carrie Mazoff Akiva parent and almuna Shortly after Am Israel leaves Egypt, Pharaoh changes his mind and chases after them.  Of course, the Israelites find themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s men and the red sea. When G‑d instructs Moses to raise his staff over the...

My daughter cut herself slicing a bagel the other morning. “Ah! I cut myself! What should I do?” My back was to her, so I turned briefly to look at her, and instinct told me this was more of a nick than a cut.  With every ounce of restraint I could muster, I turned...

This week, I'd like to share a D'var Torah from Rabbi Sacks on Parashat Bo: The Necessity of Asking Questions By Rabbi Sacks Shabbat Shalom, Debbie