Journeying From Sinai: Have We Overstayed Our Welcome?

August 12, 2024 By Hebrew College

By Rabbi Avi Killip ’14 Parashat Vaetchanan Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 Standing in line at the CVS pharmacy I pick up a diary from the spinning rack. The spiral-bound notebook calls itself The Prayer Map for Women: A Creative Journal. Each page presents a spread of fill-in-the-blank boxes with lines headed by prompts: “Dear Heavenly Father…” it opens,“Thank you for..” “Here’s what’s happening in my life…” “I need…” “People I am praying for today…” The prayer’s conclusion is written for you: “Amen.... Read more

Journeying From Sinai: Have We Overstayed Our Welcome?

August 5, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Tyler Dratch Parashat Devarim (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22) In her insightful book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters, author Priya Parker discusses an ongoing debate she and her husband have when they invite people to their house for dinner. When should the party end? Parker is of the opinion that dinner parties should linger, with guests making themselves comfortable, settling in, and leaving when they are ready. Her husband believes that these gatherings should have a set... Read more

Finding God in the Dark Places Along the Way

July 29, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Daniel Klein ’10 Parashat Maatot-Mas’ei Numbers 30:2-36:13 As we conclude the Book of Numbers this week, the wanderings and journeys of the people of Israel have come to an end in the Torah. They have arrived at the steppes of Moab, the threshold of the Promised Land, and will remain there throughout the Book of Deuteronomy until they enter the land as chronicled in the Book of Joshua. The Torah turns now to the final stages of preparation... Read more

Standing in the Breach

July 23, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Steven Lewis, HC ’11 Parashat Pinchas Numbers 25:10-30:1 “Is this a law of history or simply what must change?” – Adrianne Rich, Sources After the bodies are removed (24,000 plague-stricken sinners and the two who died to prevent more), after the spear is cleansed or discarded, Pinchas receives divine commendation for his zealous killings; two covenants: a בְּרִית שָׁלוֹם (covenant of peace) and בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם (covenant of perpetual priesthood). Pinchas’s action stops the plague created by God’s... Read more

Facing the Wilderness

July 16, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Jayce Koester, Hebrew College Rabbinical Student Parashat Balak Numbers 22:2-25:9 In this week’s Torah portion, Bil’am—a non-Israelite diviner—gets caught up in a mess that ordinarily would be none of his business. Balak, the king of Moab, summons Bil’am to assuage his fears of being overrun, and commands him to curse the Israelites. Bil’am is quickly informed by G!d that no curses are on the agenda and Bil’am, to his credit, seems to take that in stride and does not... Read more

Out of the Depths I Called

July 9, 2024 By Hebrew College

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Parashat Chukkat Numbers 19:1-22:1 Chukkat is a portion preoccupied with loss, limitation and attempts to cope with the consequences of human mortality. The very name of the parashah refers to a mysterious ritual for dealing with dead bodies described in the opening chapter. And this is followed by narratives of the deaths of two of the three leaders whom “[God] sent before you” (Micah 6: 4) as essential guides. The second leader to die is Aaron, brother of Moses and... Read more

The Lost Torah of Korach

July 1, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Matthew Schultz, Hebrew College rabbinical student Parashat Korach Numbers 16:1-18:32 כי כל־העדה כלם קדשים ובתוכם יהוה “All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them” (Numbers 16:3) These words were uttered by Korach before he was consumed by the earth. If you hear something profound in them, you’re not alone. Were they not words of truth, the 19th century Hasidic master, the Ishbitzer Rebbe tells us, the Torah would not have recorded them... Read more

Joshua’s spies and the “zonah” in Jericho

June 25, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Joshua Jacobson Haftarat Shelach Lecha (Joshua 2:1-24) We often make assumptions about people based on first impressions or on accepted stereotypes. Sometimes, however, on deeper consideration new aspects may be revealed to us. That teenager with the nose ring and the huge tattoo could be a Rhodes scholar. That old man with the stutter might have some important things to say. There are many Jewish women in the Hebrew Bible who are unambiguously presented as heroes — brave people... Read more

Caring is Sharing

June 18, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Rev. Tom Reid Parashat Beha’alotcha Numbers 8:1-12:16 Being a person of faith is challenging in a variety of ways. One particular challenge that faces those of us in Abrahamic traditions is the inherent tension between living in community among humans and living in relationship to God. We humans are messy, complicated, imperfect creatures. God defies understanding and transcends all limits, expectations, or demands we might attempt to place on God. These are two difficult, unruly forces. Perhaps it would... Read more

Outside the Camp and In Again

June 10, 2024 By Hebrew College

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By Rabbi Shira Shazeer ’10 Parashat Naso Numbers 4:21-7:89 A former student of mine taught me the Hebrew expression, sofrim et ha-omer, v’az sofrim lagomer, we count the omer, and then count down to the end of school. This year, the two come closely intertwined. The intensity of ending the school year mirrors the spiritual intensity of Shavuot, receiving the Torah’s revelation. The yearning for summer and the time to pursue the deferred needs of our souls resonates with Shavuot’s... Read more