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This week we began reading the story of the Exodus from Egypt. And accordingly, this week’s parasha is filled with deeply important events that will set the Exodus in motion. But the central figure of parashat Shemot, the central figure of the book of Shemot, is Moses. And yet there are only 22 verses which [...]

Jewish Mosaic Torah Queeries – “WRITE NOW!” Poster

If you are Jewish and a member of the GLBT community, and have experience writing a drash for the weekly Torah portion, please contact Noach Dzmura b r e r r a b b i [ a t s i g n ] h o t m a [...]

The parsha of Korah is about challenging authority and confronting injustice. It is about exposing wrongdoing, pointing out the fact that the emperor is wearing no clothes, and it is about the victory of democratic ideals over tyranny.
Would that it were! Instead, alas, parashat Korah is about what often happens to those of us [...]

Parashat Metzorah
Cross-posted to Jewish Mosaic
We’re in the middle of the book of Leviticus, in the middle of the torah, which means that we’re reading the instruction manual for the Levites in Temple times, detailing the knowledge necessary to carry out the job of the descendents of the house of Levi. On the surface, Leviticus teaches [...]

Last week, I spent two days in Bethlehem with a group called Encounter. They bring groups of rabbinical and cantorial students, as well as Jewish educators, to various places in Palestine to meet with local leaders, stay with families, and learn about the effects of Israeli policies on Palestinian communities. It was a remarkable trip; [...]