Torah for This Hour

Torah for this Hour | November 9, 2023

Posted on November 9, 2023

Parashat Vayyera ends with the story of the ‘Akedah, the Binding of Isaac, in which—according to the midrash Yalkut Shim‘oni—Avraham fights against the order he had been given and refuses to bind his son for sacrifice, until the Holy One arranges an alternative sacrifice for Avraham to offer up. At that point, Parashat Ḥayyei Sarah […]

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Torah for this Hour | November 2, 2023

Posted on November 2, 2023

  Unlike Abraham, who demonstrated initiative, Noah was passive. Noah indeed did as the Eternal commanded him, but no more than that—except for one thing: “And Noah built an altar to YHWH… and he offered up burnt offerings on the altar.” What sacrifice did he offer? Perhaps it was a sin offering, or perhaps a […]

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Israel at War: Torah for this Hour

Posted on October 26, 2023

“And YHWH said to Avram, ‘Go forth …!’” Thus begins one of our foundational stories. Where is he to go? To what place? To what country? In that first revelation God asks Avraham to give up everything he had known, everything that was familiar. His home, his household, his extended family. To let go of […]

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Timely Witness: A Message From the Rabbi of Masorti Kehillat Eshel Avraham

Posted on October 19, 2023

Timely Witness Rabbi Mijael Even David Rabbi of Masorti (Conservative) Kehillat Eshel Avraham | Beersheva, Israel     Those who know me, have known me as a man of peace. For years I have participated in interfaith projects and groups, including with Palestinian clergy. I believe in the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination […]

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