Open for Me, O Gates of Adar
gut khoydesh, One who enters Adar increases in joy This is a baffling saying of our sages in the gemara. What does entering a particular month have to do...
the land of hashem
sholem aleichem, Moshe is about to die. He comes to the Tent of Meeting with his successor, Yehoshua, and haShem appears in a pillar of cloud, standing at...
making teshuvah possible
sholem aleichem, My chevrusa and I have been learning a sefer from the Piaseczno Rebbe called B’nei Machshava Tova (“Children of Good Thought”). The...
eikev: by my power
Sholem aleichem, Before we dive in, I wanted to let y’all know that I’m putting together an online chaburah (learning collective) to learn Rebbe Nachman's...
laughter for the sake of heaven
Sholem aleichem, Before we dive in, I wanted to let y’all know that I’m putting together an online chaburah (learning collective) to learn Rebbe Nachman's...
happy pride, despite the circumstances
sholem aleichem, [cw: transphobia, current events, psych wards] In our parsha, the promised land is described as ocheles yoshveha: one who eats her...
emor? more like omer!
sholem aleichem, When the Torah commands us about the Omer in Parshas Emor, it says וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ … שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָהYou...
acharei mos-kedoshim
sholem aleichem, These two Torah portions are full of difficult verses, particularly Kedoshim. Someone who curses their parent? Put to death. Certain kinds...
shemini
sholem aleichem, Judaism loves threes: a court needs to have at least three judges, there are three patriarchs, shabbos ends with three stars in the sky, we...
[study notes] pirkei avos 1 on speech
Overview from 5785 study of Pirkei Avos.
pesakh
sholem aleichem, With a break in the parsha cycle for Pesach, I thought I would share a vort I gave at my shul’s community seder. freedom together A midrash...
vayikra
sholem aleichem Sefer Vayikra is named after haShem’s call to Moshe. But I want to write about our call to haShem in Hallel: מִֽן־הַ֭מֵּצַר קָרָ֣אתִי יָּ֑הּ...
terumah and tetzaveh
sholem aleichem, I’ve been thinking about gold as I read these two parshas. Over and over, haShem instructs the b’nei Yisrael to cover elements of the...
beshallach
sholem aleichem, The b’nei Yisrael cross the sea, and the Egyptians perish. And: וַיַּ֨רְא יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַיָּ֣ד הַגְּדֹלָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙...
bo
sholem aleichem, Thank you to everyone who donated to cover newsletter hosting costs! I’m truly grateful. Hosting costs are covered, with $19.40 left over....
vaera
sholem aleichem, Apologies for the lateness. Bodies, minds, limitations, etc. So. Moshe has been trying to convince Par’oh to let the b’nei Yisrael go and...
shemos
sholem aleichem, this dvar is dedicated to the memory of brenda churchill, may her neshamah have an aliyah Apologies for the lateness. I was traveling, and...
vayechi: a blessing
sholem aleichem, Yosef brings his children to his father, Yisrael: וַיַּ֥רְא יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אֵֽלֶּהYisrael saw the children...
vayigash: thought-seeds
sholem aleichem, Yehuda speaks Yaakov’s words to Yosef: וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָֽאֶחָד֙ מֵֽאִתִּ֔י וָאֹמַ֕ר אַ֖ךְ טָרֹ֣ף טֹרָ֑ף וְלֹ֥א רְאִיתִ֖יו עַד־הֵֽנָּה[Yaakov...
miketz: nothing
sholem aleixem, Apologies for the lateness! I was traveling for Chanukah, and just didn’t have time to write (also, I didn’t have a book I needed for...