Who We Are
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I want to start by sharing the remarks I shared at this past week’s Open House Shabbat, where our building welcomed hundreds of people over the course of Friday night and Saturday morning. It was truly an inspiring return to our weekly rhythms of Friday night musical services and […]
Balancing Humility and Responsibility
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar In this past week’s Torah portion, Moses relates the experience of the 40-year journey the Israelites have made to the generation of Israelites who stand on the brink of the Promised Land. They are getting ready to enter it without Moses, who will no longer be by their side. […]
Chosenness, Conflict, and a Path Forward
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past Shabbat we began the final book of the Torah, Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy. The word “Deuteronomy” comes from a Greek translation of the phrase “Repetition of the Torah”, which is in a sense a fitting name for this final Book, because it largely consists of Moses, […]
Journeys of the Past and Present — Insights from Parashat Masei
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past Shabbat we studied Parashat Masei, which means something like “travels” or “stages”. It is the last portion in the Sefer Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, the fourth of five books of the Torah. In it, the “travels” being referred to comprise a deliberate and thorough recounting of […]
Jewish Wisdom on Character and Leadership Amid Political Change
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Yet again, I write in response to unfolding developments in one of the most eventful months in electoral politics in modern American history, with reverberations for the Jewish community, for Israel, and for the world. Never in modern history has a sitting president, eligible for another term of office, […]