Home / The Latest / Friday Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat Weekly Dvar Torah

Focusing on Hope to Get Through the Wilderness

Jun 28, 2024

Focusing on Hope to Get Through the Wilderness

Fear is a powerful emotion. For people with anxiety, even a little bit of fear can be crippling if our minds get wrapped up in playing over and over again all of the things that could possibly go wrong, regardless of how improbable they are...
True Humility

Jun 21, 2024

True Humility

This Dvar Torah is specially dedicated in memory of Marshall Baltuch z”l, a past Director of the Miami March of the Living. Our parsha for this week – Beha’alotecha – is a treasury of teachings that call out to be illuminated in the light of Mussar. Mussar is a Jewish spiritual practice that provides practical guidance on how to live an ethical and meaningful life, based on the idea that cultivating inner virtues can help people improve themselves. I want to focus on the teaching about humility (anava) we find in B’Midbar / Numbers 12:3 that compels our attention above all the other wonderful elements in this parsha.
Blessings in Silence

Jun 14, 2024

Blessings in Silence

Last week I was away on a seven-day silent Jewish meditation retreat led by the Or HaLev organization under the leadership of Rabbi Dr. James Jacobson-Maisels. The idea of a silent Jewish meditation retreat (let alone 7 days of it) evokes one of three reactions from people: 1. Isn’t silent and Jewish an oxymoron? 2. YOU are doing this?!? No Way!!! 3. Oh that’s kind of cool. Tell me more… I’m going to assume, dear reader, that you are the third reaction and tell you a bit more.
Your People Shall Be My People: Thoughts on Shavuot

Jun 7, 2024

Your People Shall Be My People: Thoughts on Shavuot

This upcoming Tuesday evening, we will welcome the holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot is the second of Judaism’s three pilgrimage festivals, the Shalosh Regalim, which include Pessach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. In ancient Israel, all three were agricultural festivals celebrated by pilgrimages to Jerusalem, feasts, thanksgiving sacrifices, and offerings of bikkurim (first fruits) to the Temple.
Living Purposefully

May 31, 2024

Living Purposefully

This week’s Dvar Torah on Parsha Bechukotai was written by Anita Kurzer Givner, CAJE’s outgoing chair of the Leo Martin March of the Living Committee and delivered to the Committee this week. We thank her for her outstanding service to our community!
Do Jews Own the Land of Israel?

May 24, 2024

Do Jews Own the Land of Israel?

Israel’s legendary Foreign Minister Abba Eban once stood at the podium of the United Nations general assembly with a Bible in his hand, declaring before the whole world that the Jewish people’s title deed to the Land of Israel is over 3,000 years old. Rabbi Menachem Froman of blessed memory disagreed… “The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel” has been a longstanding slogan of Religious Zionism, but Rav Menachem, settler leader that he was, never tired of telling all who would listen that the Land of Israel does not belong to the People of Israel. On the contrary, the People of Israel belong to the Land of Israel.
STRUGGLING TO CELEBRATE

May 17, 2024

STRUGGLING TO CELEBRATE

Anyone who feels very connected to Israel and has been following the cultural zeitgeist there knows that Yom Haatzmaut was a complicated day for many people — perhaps you as well. How do we celebrate Israel when so many are still held hostage (we hope they are alive) and so many soldiers and civilians are recently deceased due to the war with Hamas? Many Israelis struggled with what to do-- barbecue and go to the beach and have a “fun” day while so many are suffering?
Parashat Kedoshim: RuPaul Was Right!

May 10, 2024

Parashat Kedoshim: RuPaul Was Right!

This week’s Parsha Kedoshim, which focuses on moral and ethical behavior, came exactly at the right time as we embark into this post-October 7th world. Kedoshim, often referred to as the “Holiness Code,” highlights the central importance of holiness and ethical living in Jewish tradition. It emphasizes that holiness is not confined to ritual observance but extends to all aspects of life, including interpersonal relationships, business dealings, and moral conduct.
Dear Student Protesters...

May 3, 2024

Dear Student Protesters...

This week’s Torah portion is Acharei Mot, which describes the process of placing the sins of the community on a goat that gets sent into the wilderness on Yom Kippur. This goat was later known in English as a “scapegoat.” Anyone watching the student protests happening on college campuses around the county (among many other protests outside of campuses) can see that Zionists and the State of Israel are being scapegoated for the entire Middle East conflict and for many other perceived evils in the world.
The 'High Holy Days' of Spring

Apr 26, 2024

The 'High Holy Days' of Spring

The time from Passover to Shavuot is like another ‘High Holy Days’ Season. One reason is the sheer number of holidays that parallels the Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemeni Atzeret/Simchat Torah ‘deluge’ of September/October. We have Pesach, Yom HaShoah, Yom HaAtzma’ut, Lag BaOmer and Shavuot all in a seven-week period. The spring holidays are of tremendous historical meaning and very intense (the ridding of chametz/leavened products), the Seder, Holocaust memorials and the intense emotion of Israeli Independence Day, while ending with the quiet and calm of study on Shavuot.