I’m thrilled you are exploring Society Hill Synagogue and have found your way to the page of Divrei Torah, words of Torah, which are part of a generations-long Jewish practice of refracting sacred Jewish teachings through the light of our own day and age.
For me, Judaism is an opportunity to nourish ourselves, grounded in the Jewish story: a story that has unfolded throughout the generations, with twists and turns, tragedy and triumph, serving as a source of life to those who engage with it.
The Jewish People are known as B’nei Yisrael: the people who wrestle with the Divine. The name comes from that moment in our tradition in which it is understood that our ancestor Jacob “wrestled with a figure,” a figure understood to be a manifestation of that very Divine Being (see Genesis 32).
That moment produced a legacy of sacred wrestling; grappling; seeking to make meaning of, and find purpose in, our time on earth.
These Divrei Torah are my efforts, in conversation with the community of Society Hill Synagogue, to make meaning and to find purpose, seeking to serve this community, our broader world, and the Divine.
I hope you find meaning in them yourself, and I encourage you to reach out to me if you would like to discuss their contents or to discuss becoming a part of the Society Hill Synagogue community. Welcome!
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The Secret History of Kabbalat Shabbat
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I cannot imagine the experience of Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old hostage released this week from Hamas captivity, and his family and friends, upon their reunion. Barukh atah adonai matir asurim, a traditional Jewish blessing says: Blessed is the One through whose
Honoring Memory, Embracing Purpose
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I write this on Yom Ha’atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day, which immediately follows Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. Israel’s commemoration of these two days is strikingly different from their equivalents here in the United States: for starters, by connecting them on consecutive
Inner Life. Outer Life. Jewish Life.
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Today is Yom HaShoah, whose formal name is Yom Hazikaron LaShoah Velag’vurah — Remembrance Day of the Holocaust and Heroism. It’s a heartbreaking day each year it comes up, commemorating the Holocaust, the state-sponsored, systematic murder of six million Jews by
Hazzan Jessi: Connecting the Unconnectable
by Hazzan Jessi Roemer Earlier this week, my friend texted me a question: “Do you think of Tanakh (the canon of Torah, Prophets, and Writings) as Jewish mythology? Akin to Greek or Norse mythology, but with more staying power?” “Hmm,” I answered, “in terms of
Vayikra’s Divine Mystery
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar As we get ready for our Pesah S’darim, our Passover Seders, I’m writing to share the D’var Torah I delivered last week on the range of different ways that Torah conceives of God. In the meantime, I wish you a Hag
“Your People Are My People”
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I’m writing to share the D’var Torah I delivered this past Friday night when we hosted our Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, who offered incredible teachings Friday and Saturday. I gave our scholar-in-residence this Shabbat carte blanche to select a topic
Shabbat of… the Cow?
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I’m writing to share with you the teaching I delivered this past Shabbat, a Shabbat which called upon us to begin spiritually opening ourselves in preparation for the Pesah (Passover) holiday: There are nine special Shabbatot, special Sabbaths, sprinkled throughout the
Are We All Idol Worshipers?
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This Shabbat is Shabbat Ki Tisa, Ki Tisa being the parashah, the Torah portion, with one of the most well known, or perhaps I should say notorious, episodes of the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings: the story of the golden calf. The basics
Purim Pushes us Out of our Comfort Zone — and Why That’s Holy
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Hag Purim same’ah — a joyous and festive Purim holiday! See below for a teaching I offered Friday night on the spiritual importance of pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones every once in a while, an experience which Purim facilitates.
A Five-Year-Old’s Friend, Ukraine, and Our Extra Shabbat Souls
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear friends, I’ve been sitting for a while with the events of the last week — the confirmation of the deaths of hostages: the Bibas children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, ages four years and nine months when kidnapped; and their mother,
Standing at the Shore Together
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear Friends, It was fun for our community to get profiled this week in the Jewish Exponent! I hope you’ll check it out and share. Meanwhile, I wanted to share with you the D’var Torah I offered this past Shabbat on the
The Power of Community in Challenging Moments
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I had hoped this week to simply share with you the D’var Torah I delivered this past Friday night to welcome our 61 new member households who joined over the past year, on the experience of entering a new community, and
How Prayer May Bring Change – Not How You Might Think
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I’m writing to share the remarks I delivered at this past week’s Friday night Shabbat service, which you are always encouraged to attend — a peaceful conclusion to the week and initiation of Shabbat, celebrated through song, community, reflection,
Aheinu — Holding Space for One Another
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar One English word used today to describe the work of a rabbi is “pastoral.” Pastoral is a word whose origins derive from the nomadic, shepherding origins of our people, and today it refers to a form of accompaniment — to, as
A Time for Wailing, A Time for Dancing
These verses from Ecclesiastes come to me in this moment that feels like both “a time for wailing and a time for dancing.”
A time for dancing because, after 15 months of war, hostages will be reunited with their families, rockets — at least between Israel and Hamas — will stop firing, families will return to their hometowns. Peace, albeit limited, tentative, and fragile, will reign.