This Weeks Torah: Recent Episodes
JCast Network
Most shows on JCast Network provide new content each week, but the annual torah cycle continues year after year, and the content that's created can be as useful even a few years later. Enjoy the content of this podcast and blog as it changes each week.
Would Bilaam have worn a mask if he were around today? I unfortunately suspect he wouldn’t have and here is the cautionary tale of his story. For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm. How do you […]
Welcome to Sermons, from Rabbi David Seth Kirshner. This episode is a special episode focusing on Emor. How do you listen to Sermons? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!
God interupts the sacrifices to remind us to take a day of rest. It is a command that is even more significant for us now as we spend our days at home and need to find ways to make time sacred. For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music […]
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
How do you listen to A Taste Of Romemu? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!
God and the Israelites enter into a new relationship in this week’s portion and it can provide insights for how we form relationships ourselves
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
How do you listen to Two Minutes of Torah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
How do you listen to A Taste Of Romemu? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!
Abraham sets an example that we should run, not walk, when we have an opportunity to help another person
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
How do you listen to Two Minutes of Torah? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!
A celerbation of the Adult Bar Mitzvah program at Romemu For more information please visit romemu.org. How do you listen to A Taste Of Romemu? You have a lot of options you know? iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, it’s your choice!
A sermon by Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses on Emor. How do we deal with our own perfectionism and how do we move from that perfectionism, which gets in the way of living life fully, to a place of compassion? In Emor, the Biblical portion of the week, God demands perfection, prohibiting a blemished priest from approaching […]
Today religion is all too often associated with extremism and fundamentalism. But even in the Torah there is an understanding of the need for pragmatism and a liberal interpretation of laws. For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by […]
In his message for Parashat Va-era (January 5, 2019), Rabbi Knopf explains that while failure is both inevitable and desirable, it is possible to fail at failure. Here’s how to succeed.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
Why does God share a name with Moses that was not shared with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
A text study with Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
In his Shabbat message for Parashat Vayera (October 27, 2018), Rabbi Knopf shares that the story of the Binding of Isaac has a crucial lesson to teach for our incredibly politically charged moment.
Welcome to Sermons, from Rabbi David Seth Kirshner. This episode is a special episode focusing on Vayera.
The example of Abraham appealing on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah is a powerful one with lessons for today.
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
A sermon by Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer Ingber on Emor. For more information please visit romemu.org.
In his Shabbat message for Parashat Emor (May 5, 2018), Rabbi Knopf offers a glimpse at the true purpose of counting the Omer, through a close reading of the biblical text.
At the Tabernacle the High Priest brought 12 loaves of bread together as a way of bringing the community together each and every Shabbat. Providing inspiration for us all. For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
When Moses came to the Israelites with God’s promise they were not ready to listen. Their souls were crushed. But they found a way to move forward.
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
Why was Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt? Why was this her punishment?
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
A sermon by Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer on Emor. For more information please visit romemu.org.
Welcome to Sermons, from Rabbi David Seth Kirshner. This episode is a special episode focusing on Emor.
Shavuot appears at the culmination of a count, with no date given in the Torah. What is the lesson for us to learn? For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
How do we ensure that our spirits are never crushed in the same way as the Israelites in Egypt?
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
What’s the lesson from this week’s Torah portion for our post-Election society?
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit www.RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Rabbi Knopf’s message for Parashat Emor (May 21, 2016), on the importance of presence, not sacrificing the moment for the unknown future.
What happened to the blasphemer and what is the lesson that we can learn from this Biblical incident? For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 9, 2016), on the infinite possibility of our lives.
Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 8, 2016), on the importance of the fierce urgency of now.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera. For more information please visit romemu.org.
Initially the people did not listen to Moses or accept God, perhaps therefore the plagues and miracles were God’s way of proving God’s credentials.
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yera (October 30, 2015), why the destruction of an ancient city has enduring relevance for our world.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
Why was Abraham chosen by God, this week perhaps we finally get an answer
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Rabbi Knopf’s Shabbat message for parashat Emor (May 9, 2015): Rabbi Knopf’s second sermon for the series “Be Holy.”
This week we get the festival calendar, but Shavuot does not get a date. What can we learn from counting up to this festival? For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 17, 2015): How to break free from the insecurities that hold us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.
Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 16, 2014): What are we supposed to be doing when we pray?
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
Why does God use a different name when speaking to Moses? What’s the significance of the names that we choose?
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Yera (November 8, 2014): In the hierarchy of Jewish values, welcoming guests is more important than personal spiritual breakthroughs, a fact that has profound implications for synagogue life.
A sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on Vayera.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yera (November 7, 2014): The play, “The Book of Mormon” inspires Rabbi Knopf to wonder what a Jewish missionary might sound like.
Who would date to bargain or negotiate with God? Abraham would…
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
This week’s parsha, reminds us that we are commanded to make and observe sacred time. Parshat Emor specifically references the need to make time to observe the Shalosh Regalim – the three Pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. And these festivals can, indeed, fill us with joy and refresh our souls. Gone are the […]
This week we are reminded of the importance of our families For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
This week Torah takes us back to Egypt at the start of the plagues. We watch the water of the Nile turn to blood; frogs fill the land; lice and insect swarms attack the people; an epidemic kills the livestock; the people’s infected insect bites turn to boils, and thunder and lightning fill the skies as hail rains down on the Egyptians.
From our vantage point, we also see that each plague scares Pharaoh just a bit; he momentarily relents and says that the Israelites can leave. With trust in humankind Moses asks G-d to remove the plague. It is done and Pharaoh changes his mind and recants his offer for Moses and the people to leave.
Whether it is that Pharaoh immediately forgets the level of pain just endured and imagines that being without slaves will hurt far worse or that he was so hard hearted that he did not care about the pain of others, including his own people, we do not know. All we know is that he kept recanting and the plagues continued.
Cardiologists tell us that hardened hearts cannot pump blood effectively. We cannot breathe well, move well, or think well without adequate continual blood flow since our blood carries oxygen and needed nutrients across our body as it also removes toxins. Hardened hearts are more prone to breakage and failure. We must care for our bodies to ensure our hearts do not harden.
Psychologists and spiritual guides remind us that a hardened heart cannot truly be open to the thoughts, feelings, and intents of others. Our eyes may see and our ears may hear, but it is our hearts that absorb. When a heart is hardened the input slides right off. We might momentarily act differently, yet these moments of compassion are gone in an instant.
In our morning liturgy we recite Asher Yatzar, expressing gratitude for our bodies as remind ourselves of the need for a healthy lifestyle. Our prayers also include Ahavah Rabah, which is said before we say the Sh’ma. We thank G-d for loving the Jewish people enough to have given us Torah. We ask G-d to open our eyes, to help us understand and to open our hearts to the joy of living as part of a kehillah kadoshah – a caring, sacred community.
A soft heart can open to allow new ideas in. Then, just like our blood, the ideas can flow through us, filling our minds with new input to consider and, perhaps, leading our body to changed actions.
Pharaoh saw the plagues and suffering and heard the cries of pain, yet his stiff heart just did not allow the information to penetrate and guide his decisions and actions. Again and again, the pain was seen, heard and then slid right away before any long-lasting change in feelings could lead to permanent change in action.
How can we be different? We cannot respond to every need or our hearts and pocketbooks would burst. Yet, do we do enough? Do we give as we live? Do we listen and carefully consider new and different ideas or are we so used to moving through our days in certain ways that new ideas are ignored or perhaps given a half-hearted “go ahead and try” with full expectation of failure? Do we invest time to care for our health so our hearts do not physically harden and invest in relationships and compassionate efforts that keep our spiritual hearts soft and healthy?
May we learn from Pharaoh’s actions, choosing instead to do the work that keeps our hearts supple, allowing for a strong flow of blood, compassion for others, and thoughtful consideration of new ideas.
Open up our eyes; teach us how to live; fill our hearts with joy and all the love You have to give.
Gather us in peace as You lead us to Your name; and we will know that You are One.
How do know if something is just a slight of hand or a real miracle? This week we see the difference.
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Sodom and Gomorah are wicked cities, but what is the sin that they are guilty of, it might surprise you to find out what the Rabbis thought….
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Often our lives feel like an endless toil through the working week. But right on cue, every seventh day we celebrate Shabbat. What is the lesson of Shabbat and the festive calendar introduced in this week’s Torah portion? For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com The opening and closing music for this podcast […]
Welcome to WORD. A weekly word from the world’s best seller. In this weeks episode, Amichai Lau-Lavie focuses on the word EXECUTE, and the Torah portion, Emor. To subscribe or read the text version of this blog, and to learn more about Amichai Lau-Lavie please visit Amichai.me.
When the heart is open, we can listen. When the heart is open, we can feel. When the heart is open, we can say Yes.
May the Holy One of Blessing, strengthen us to honor our true inner rhythm. To have faith in the winters, to sensitize ourselves to flow of life within us and within those whom we love.
Rabbi David Ingber on Parshat Va’eira and Tu Bishvat.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
It’s hard to ask for help, but if Moses can do it, maybe we can too.
We don’t like to admit our shortcomings or our failings, but asking for help is sometimes the only way in which we can be truly successful. Moses was not afraid to ask for help, and in return God was prepared to assist him.
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Welcome to WORD. A weekly word from the world’s best seller.
In this weeks episode, Amichai Lau-Lavie focuses on the word HEAVY, and the Torah portion Va’eira.
To subscribe or read the text version of this blog, and to learn more about Amichai Lau-Lavie please visit Amichai.me.
Après le dèluge, after the natural disaster, begins the race among readers of holy texts to say something stupid regarding the “reason” for suffering. Rabbi David Ingber on Parshat Vayeira after super-storm Sandy.
For more information please visit romemu.org.
This week the east coast of America was hit by Hurricane Sandy, and many were displaced from their homes. Abraham and Sarah set an example for us about how to behave when people are in need.
For more information about Rabbi Danny, please visit RabbiDanny.com
The opening and closing music for this podcast is Coming Out of the Dark by Matt Stamm.
Welcome to WORD. A weekly word from the world’s best seller.
In this weeks episode, Amichai Lau-Lavie focuses on the word SODOM, and the Torah portion Vayeira.
To subscribe or read the text version of this blog, and to learn more about Amichai Lau-Lavie please visit Amichai.me.
It seems the closer we get to the core of all being, the more synonymous the effort and its reward. Rabbi David Ingber on Parshat Emor. For more information please visit romemu.org.
Rabbi David Ingber on the origins of sadness and the Great Mother. For more information please visit romemu.org.
In this episode of Verse Per Verse, Amichai explore the torah portion Emor. The word that Amichai chooses to explore this week comes from Vayikra, Chapter Twenty-Three, Verse fifteen. This verse discusses the confusion in the counting of the Omer. Listen to Amichai explore the confusion in this week’s Verse Per Verse.
When bringing a sacrifice It’s important to heed this advice Levitical law Says it can have no flaw So check once and then check it twice
There are many Jewish rituals connected with mourning, but it is in this week’s Torah portion that we discover for whom we should mourn. The list and the way it has been developed is an example of the compassion which has always been present in Judaism.
Moses reveals what God will unveil
To Pharaoh with great detail
The Nile River, muddy
Will turn gross and bloody
Then come frogs, lice, flies mange, boils, and hail
In this episode of Verse Per Verse, Amichai explore Exodus, Chapter Six, Verse Twelve, and the portion of Va’era.
This parsha, deals with the choosing of Moses by God to be the spokesperson, and Moses’s ambivalence is this role. Moses says that he has “Aral Sifatayim”. But what do those words mean?
A literal traslation is that he has “uncircumcised” lips. These are words that surely need some unpacking. Do the words mean tongue-tied? or with a lisp, or was there something deeper, were his lips “sealed” or truly “uncircumcised”?
Vayera
To Abraham, God did request
“Kill Isaac, the one you love best”
As he raised up his knife
To take his son’s life
God said: “Stop! It was only a test!”
Chaye Sarah
After Sarah dies and is buried
Isaac, then must be married
Rebecca brings relief
For poor Isaac’s grief
When into his tent she is carried
Sermon by Rabbi David Ingber on November 11, 2011. Parshat Vayera וירא
For more information please visit romemu.org.
In the fourth episode of Verse Per Verse, Amichai continues his exploration of Genesis and the stories in Vayera.
This week Amichai explores the translations of the words Eden & Edna. We hope you will get pleasure listening to this podcast, and wonder if it will be of the earthly or orgasmic kind.
We are only a few hours away from the dawn of 2011. The media are blaring out New Year’s advice in every form – “4 Money-Making Investments!” “6 Steps to Six-Pack Abs!”
“8 Solutions to Household Clutter!”
How about “7 Ways to Get Out of Egypt!” This item isn’t from CNBC or “The Martha Stewart Show,” but from this week’s Parsha, Va’era. Following God’s command, Moses and Aaron repeatedly ask Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves. Each time, Pharaoh’s heart is “stiffened” and he refuses to allow the slaves to go. At each refusal, God causes a plague to afflict the Egyptians – blood, frogs, lice, swarms of insects, cattle disease, boils, hail. God’s power is demonstrated over and over to the Egyptians. Yet, at the end of Va’era, we read, “So Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Eternal had foretold through Moses.” * (Exodus 9:35)
We learn from Va’era that the Israelites’ struggle to break free from slavery is an arduous one that demands courage, extreme determination, and faith in God’s help.
In 2010 (soon to be 2011), we’re no longer slaves in the Egypt of the pharaohs. Still, many of us are not free. We err and manage to create our own personal “Egypts.” We’re enslaved by oppressive emotions and desires such as anger, hatred, envy, guilt, fear, greed – to name a few of the 21st century “Pharaohs.” To confront and break free from these spiritual “Pharaohs” demands courage, extreme determination, and faith in God’s help.
Shabbat Shalom – Rest and Renew
From The Torah: A Modern Commentary* – General Editor, W. Gunther Plaut
The beginning of Parshat Vayera tells how Abraham reached out and welcomed visitors to his tent.
The Midrash excerpt below describes how Sarah’s tent was also special. My Hebrew School students enjoyed reading and discussing this section of a longer Midrash.
“Sarah had a tent of her own. Every time that the family made camp, Sarah’s tent was set up first. Abraham taught the men about the One God. Sarah was the women’s teacher. Abraham’s tent had doors on all four sides so that everyone who was looking for hospitality could easily find their way in. Sarah’s tent was where Shabbat was created. Every week Sarah baked hallah. Every week Sarah lit Shabbat candles. The smell of the hallah lasted from week to week. It was always in the tent. The Shabbat lights burned from one Shabbat until the next set were kindled. The tent always smelled of hallah. It was always a place of light.
The Shekhinah is the part of God that gets close to people. It is the part that can be our neighbor. God was comfortable with Sarah and her tent. God liked the smell and the light and the peace of Shabbat. The Shekhinah would come down in a cloud and rest on Sarah’s tent.”
This warm, expressive section of a Midrash is taken from the textbook, S’fatai Tiftach Volume 2 by Joel Lurie Grishaver and Jane Golub (Torah Aura Productions www.torahaura.com )
Shabbat Shalom – Rest and Renew