Pathways to God: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, and Adonai Avoteichem
Rosh Hashanah 5782 By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I think I know what the most important piece of Torah is. I know, it’s a lofty claim. It’s like saying you can identify the single greatest piece of art, the greatest piece of music, the greatest basketball player of all time. Sure we all have opinions, but […]
Alienation and Reconciliation
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar We studied Parashat Shofetim, the Torah portion known as Shofetim, or, Judges. As a reminder, we find ourselves in the final book of the Torah, Devarim (Deuteronomy), where Moses is delivering his final speeches on the eve of their entering into the Promised Land without him. In particular, this week’s parashah had him holding forth about four important […]
A God Who Cares
This past week we studied Parashat Re’eh—the Torah portion known as Re’eh, which literally means, “See!” as in Moses telling the Israelites to see the choice that has been presented before them between blessing and curse. By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar The parashah (Torah portion) picks up in the middle of a speech Moses is delivering to the Israelites on […]
The Secret Ingredient
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar A couple of weeks ago, we lifted up the strange yet meaningful blessing called Birkat Hagomel which we say when we’ve made it through a harrowing experience, in which we say Baruch atah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam ha-gomel l’hayavim tovot, she-g’malani kol tov: Blessed are you Adonai, sovereign of time and space, who rewards […]
Eternality and Expansiveness in Our Approach to Shabbat
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past Shabbat, our second in a row in-person together as a community, we studied the weekly parashah (Torah portion) as we always do, probing its depths for meaning, asking what eternal meaning its words lend to our own lives, informing us, pushing us, causing us to think. This week’s parashah was called va’ethanan, which means […]