Home / The Latest / Friday Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat Weekly Dvar Torah

From Sirens to Silence

Mar 20, 2026

From Sirens to Silence

In Israel today, there are sounds we have come to know all too well — the sharp, jarring alerts, followed by the rising and falling wail of sirens that send us rushing to safe rooms and bomb shelters. These sounds rupture the rhythm of daily life, filling the air with urgency, fear, and vulnerability. They remind us, again and again, that the danger is real, that our security is not to be taken for granted, and that we are still engaged in the struggle for continued existence in our land. Against this backdrop, Parashat Vayikra introduces us to a radically different kind of sound…
When Do We Get to the Interesting Parts?

Mar 13, 2026

When Do We Get to the Interesting Parts?

I used to think that Parashat Vayakhel had “interesting material” and “boring material” in it. The “interesting material” is Moshe / Moses bringing the Israelites together and telling them to make an offering to G!D based upon how their heart is moved to do so. Following that, Moshe / Moses continues by asking those who are skilled to come and make all the objects that G!D has commanded regarding the Mishkan / Tabernacle, the place where the Divine Presence will dwell. So the whole community of Israelites brings and makes objects for the Mishkan / Tabernacle — blue, purple and crimson yarns or tanned dolphin skins or gifts of copper or spun goat’s hair…
The Worship of Gold

Mar 6, 2026

The Worship of Gold

Parshat Ki Tisa picks up with Moshe still meeting with HaShem on Har Sinai. God instills Moshe with instructions for taking censuses, anointing priests, and keeping Shabbat. After doing all this, HaShem gives him the tablets with the Ten Commandments. Down on the ground, though, a jarringly different sequence of events takes place (Shemot 32:1-4). We know this as the sin of the eigel hazahav, or the golden calf. Moshe famously comes down and smashes the tablets, after which HaShem commands him to carve new ones. One way to make sense of this off-putting episode is to see the golden calf incident as an instance of the worship of gold, the worship of money.
Who Are We? How Should We Treat Others?

Feb 27, 2026

Who Are We? How Should We Treat Others?

On Wednesday, February 12th, as part of the SAGES in the 305 public lecture series sponsored In loving memory of Charles Ganz z”l, Temple Judea was buzzing with energy as more than 150 people gathered to hear Rabbi Ethan Tucker, President and Rosh Yeshiva of the Hadar Institute. Rabbi Tucker’s topic? A deceptively simple question: What is a Jew? “A Jew is someone with an identity crisis,” he jokingly began. With characteristic clarity and depth, Rabbi Tucker showed that this “identity crisis” is not a modern invention — it is built into Jewish history itself.
Caring for God

Feb 20, 2026

Caring for God

If you are lucky, you will live to see your parents begin to need you in the way you once needed them. You will feel it most in the small things: lifting a cup of water to your motherʼs lips; adjusting the light your father can sleep. Laying a hand on his forehead. And you will be desperately sad, but also lucky, because each time you do these things, you will remember that they once, so many times, did them for you. And you will know that you were, and are, loved. God, too, is a parent. But Godʼs biggest tragedy, if one can say such a thing, is that God will never grow weak or old. God will never need us to do for Him what He once did for us.
Torah for Regular Days

Feb 13, 2026

Torah for Regular Days

This week’s parsha, Mishpatim, is one of the longest and most detailed portions in the Torah. After the dramatic moment of Mount Sinai - thunder, lightning, and the giving of the Ten Commandments - the Torah shifts gears completely. Parshat Mishpatim is filled with laws about everyday situations: Borrowing and returning objects, Accidentally causing harm, Interpersonal responsibility, How people are expected to treat one another when things go wrong. There’s no drama. No miracles. Just regular life. And that shift is intentional. Right after revelation, the Torah teaches us that holiness doesn’t stay on the mountain.
Integrity: A Prerequisite for a Judge

Feb 6, 2026

Integrity: A Prerequisite for a Judge

Yitro, the father-in-law of Moses, may be a ‘bit-part’ player in the Torah narrative, but his contribution is seminal. The hierarchical judicial structure he proposed of appointing “leaders of thousands… hundreds… fifties and… tens” (Exod. 18:21) under the overall direction of Moses has become the foundation of all judicial systems in democracies the world over. Moreover, the criteria he outlines for the appointment of judges has become the gold standard for every just society. “You shall seek out from the entire nation [as judges] anshei chayil: G-D-fearing, men of truth, haters of rapacity” (ibid).
Those Who Stayed in Egypt

Jan 30, 2026

Those Who Stayed in Egypt

A few years ago, at a conference, I listened in outrage as Liel Leibovitz, a prominent writer at Tablet magazine, argued that four out of five American Jews today would likely not be part of the Jewish future. He was not speaking in theory. He meant real people — some disengaged, others actively harming the community. He argued that we must reconsider who we include in our communal vision. I was furious. I have wrestled with faith and struggled with God, but my commitment to the Jewish people has never wavered. The idea of leaving Jews behind — 80% of them! — felt like a betrayal of everything I believed. That was then. These days, I don’t fully agree with Liel, but I keep returning to grapple with his argument.
The Journey to Liberation Is Never Easy

Jan 23, 2026

The Journey to Liberation Is Never Easy

In normal times, I approach Parashat Bo in the usual way. I dive deep into fine points of the story and the language of the text. I contemplate the specific meaning of each of the plagues described in this climactic parashah: locusts, darkness and the smiting of the firstborn Egyptians… This is, after all, how we Jews study text, assuming that every detail of the text, even the smallest turn of phrase, contains profound meaning for us. But these are not normal times. This year the text invites me to take a different look. I feel called to zoom out from the fine points of the text and ask: What is the overall message of this portion for me this year? What do the broad strokes of this story teach about a time of massive social upheaval?
Freedom Begins with Dignity

Jan 16, 2026

Freedom Begins with Dignity

There’s an idea I return to often: the word “Torah” comes from the root for the Hebrew word hora’ah, which means instruction or teaching. In other words, the Torah isn’t only a story we read - it’s something meant to teach us, again and again, in every generation. There is always something to learn, if we’re willing to listen closely. In this week’s parsha, Va’era, we are still at the very beginning of the Exodus story. The Israelites are enslaved in Egypt. Their labor is relentless. Their lives are tightly controlled. And Moshe has only just stepped into his role as a leader. Hashem sends Moshe back to Pharaoh with a message we all recognize: “Let My people go.” But at this point in the story, nothing dramatic happens. There is no sea splitting. There is no mass exodus. In fact, things don’t improve at all. Pharaoh refuses. The system tightens. The people remain trapped.