The Jewish Response to Alienation
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I’m left still feeling the high of Friday night’s celebration of the generosity that led to our synagogue expansion. Members from every chapter of this community’s history came together displaying firsthand what intergenerational Jewish community looks like. Those who have been part of this community for decades and forged the legacy […]
A Bar Mitzvah Teaching on Kashrut and Belonging, and an Extended Teaching on the Last Remaining Ounce
As is our custom its my privilege to share some words of Torah from him. Skylar’s parashah (Torah portion) was Shemini, a portion that is situated partway through the book of Vayikra (Leviticus). Vayikra, which takes place in the aftermath of the Exodus and the Revelation at Sinai, lays out, essentially, part of the new covenant between the Israelite people and […]
I’m Stepping Away for the Month
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear Friends, Today is the due date for for our little one, and while there are no immediate signs that they’re going to arrive on schedule, I’m beginning approximately one month’s worth of parental leave starting tomorrow. (Going with a fixed date regardless of when the baby comes helps Rabbi Winokur […]
Ways to Support the People of Ukraine
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Those who are regular participants in Friday night and Saturday morning services with us might have intuited by now that the emphasis of my Divrei Torah, my teachings from torah, tend not to engage directly or explicitly with the headlines of the week. This is not out of any philosophical objection to […]
The Lost Touch
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past Shabbat during services, we collectively studied Parashat Tetsaveh, the Torah portion known as Tetsaveh, which means “You [Moses] shall instruct.” The portion falls in the last third of the Book of Exodus as Moses remains with God at Mt. Sinai, gathering instructions for the Israelites with regard to, among other topics, the […]