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182 results total, viewing 1 - 10

The book of Genesis begins with God deciding to create human beings to rule all the other created things: “Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of … more

d'Var Torah | 11/6/23

Finding your letter in the Torah

The Hebrew month of Tishrei is one long marathon of Jewish rituals. We blasted into this month with Rosh Hashanah. We raised ourselves up with the White Fast of Yom Kippur. We entered the comfort of … more

d'Var Torah | 10/5/23

Balancing the past with the future during these Days of Awe

A cartoon that once appeared in the New Yorker pictures a man saying to his therapist, “But I love the past, I grew up there!” How true that is. Let’s face it, as Rhode … more

d'Var Torah | 9/1/23

The power and danger of ‘because’

This week’s Torah portion has an odd name. It is called “Ekev,” a word that in Hebrew means “Because.” Like all of the Torah portions, Ekev gets its name … more

d'Var Torah | 8/4/23

Torah tales affirm that we all count

Our portion this Shabbat is named after Aaron’s grandson, Pinchas, who defended God’s honor in the previous portion, and was promised that the Priestly Dynasty would remain in this family … more

d'Var Torah | 7/7/23

Getting lost might be just what we need

In April , I had the pleasure of seeing the Arctic Playhouse’s production of “The 39 Steps” (my spouse, Annie, was in the cast), a comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 … more

d'Var Torah | 6/1/23

What is Lag B’Omer anyway?

Monday and Tuesday, May 8-9, brings one of the oddest holidays of the Jewish year. Lots of people can tell you that Lag B’Omer is the 33rd day of the counting of the omer (didn’t you … more

d'Var Torah | 5/4/23

Our journey to redemption

The festival of Passover is known by two names. Our sages called it “the time of our freedom,” because it is our celebration for God gifting us our exodus from Mizraim (Egypt). Of course, … more

d'Var Torah | 4/2/23

What does it take to create a sacred space?

It was either a brilliant editorial decision or just a wonderful coincidence that this issue of Jewish Rhode Island, dedicated to Home and Garden, coincides with the Torah portion of … more

d'Var Torah | 3/3/23

Finding my spiritual home at Jewish camp

June 1967 Dear Mom and Dad, Camp is FABULOUS! Actually, my amazing journey started before I even got here. The plane from San Antonio made a stop in New Orleans and blew a tire while … more

d'Var Torah | 2/3/23