D’vrei Torah

A monthly commentary relating Torah to learning about Jewish sacred aging.

March 22, 2020 0

Vayikra: (Leviticus 1-5:26) We ARE All In The Same Boat

Sacrifices! A major theme of the Book of Leviticus that we meet this coming Shabbat. No doubt, this is now quite real to so many of us who are “sheltering in [Read more...]

Cherry Hill resident Sid Katz, right, shown with Jeopardy! host Alex Trebeck, became the Jeopardy! champion in a match broadcast on March 16, 2020. (Photo courtesy Jeopardy Productions Inc.)

March 18, 2020 0

I’ll Take “D’var Torah” for $200, Alex

Chaplain Barry Pitegoff discusses this week's parsha, Pekuday. [Read more...]

Detail on synagogue in Rome - A menorah and the Ten Commandments atop the synagogue in the Jewish ghetto in Rome, Italy (S. Cazon photo/Flickr.com under Creative Commons 2.0 license)

March 11, 2020 0

Ki Tissa: (Exodus 30:11-34:35) “For The Sin……”

Ki Tissah presents us with a myriad of issues. We see the call for contributions to service the Tent of Meeting. We meet Betzalel, the chief designer and project manager of [Read more...]

March 4, 2020 0

Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-30:10) With All Our Hearts And Souls!

Tetzaveh draws us in to the details of cult practice, the roles and rules associated with Temple worship and we meet a variety of people who will occupy many verses of Torah [Read more...]

One of the gates to the old city of Jerusalem (Steve Lubetkin Photo/Israel201111-207. Used by permission)

February 27, 2020 0

D’var Torah on Terumah

Chaplain Barry Pitegoff finds special comfort in the lines of this week's parsha, Terumah, regarding the dwelling of G-d's spirit within the tabernacles we build. [Read more...]

February 20, 2020 0

Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18)….History and The “Other”

“These are the rules (mishpatim) that you shall set before them” (Exodus 21:1). With this brief sentence, we see the outline of society. This portion begins to [Read more...]

Spiral Jetty, United States. Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

February 12, 2020 0

Yitro (Exodus 18.1-20.23): Who Or What Is Revealed To You?

Yitro, one of the most famous of all portions of Torah, greets us this Shabbat. The sweeping drama of the Ten Commandments is the centerpiece. The portion begins with this [Read more...]

February 3, 2020 0

B’shalach: (Exodus 13:17-17:16) Our Long and Winding Road

B’shalach greets us with great drama and scope. The Israelites are granted freedom, they cross the Sea of Reeds, sing a song of liberation (mi chamocha) and their [Read more...]

January 29, 2020 0

Bo: (Exodus 10:1-13:16) The Heaviness of Fear

Bo is a fascinating portion. It concluded the plagues and inserts the beginnings of our discussion of the Passover. God we are told, “hardens” the heart of [Read more...]

January 22, 2020 0

Va’era (Exodus 6:12-9:35): What The Heart Feels, What We Want

Va’era introduces us to the drama that surrounds the beginning of Exodus; the beginning of the confrontations between Moses, Aaron and Pharaoh and, as the portion [Read more...]

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