See The Choices Before You
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past Shabbat, we studied Parashat Re’eh, the Torah portion known as Re’eh, which means literally, “See!” Moses is speaking to the Israelites on the precipice of the Promised Land, and he presents them with one of the most stark choices in all of biblical tradition: “See, this day I set before you blessing […]
When Tradition Says To Give Thanks (Hint: Always)
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar As we do each (or, most) weeks, we reflect back on what we learned in our Torah discussion this past week, reflecting on how this Etz Chayiim, Tree of Life, as the Torah is sometimes called, extends into our generation, offering us learning, helping us to reveal the holiness with which all life is infused. This […]
Memory, History, and our Invitation Therefrom
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past week we began the fifth and final book of the Torah, titled D’varim in Hebrew, which translates in this context to “words” as in, “These are the words Moses addressed to all Israel,” from the first verse of the book; and Deuteronomy in English, which comes from the Greek for “second law,” i.e, deuteros + […]
The Power of Speech, and The Journey Through Exile, Together.
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Each week, we rehash and reflect upon our Torah study discussion from this past Shabbat as a means of inviting us all into the conversation; injecting a little Torah, i.e., both ancient and modern Jewish wisdom, into our weeks; and getting ourselves in sync with the rhythms of the enduring Jewish […]
“Divine Wrath” And Our Relationship To It
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past week we read Parashat Pinchas—the Torah portion known as Pinchas, so named after a religious zealot who carries out a violent act of vigilante justice on a fellow Israelite and his Midianite partner in order to stave off a plague that had come about as a result of God’s wrath, which […]