D'var Torahs

“Fabric on the Outside, Soul Within” In this week’s Torah portion, we read about the Bigdei Kehunah, the sacred garments worn by the Cohanim (priests) when they served in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and later in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). The garments of the Cohen, and especially the Cohen Gadol, were described as “l’kavod u’letiferet”, for honor and for splendor. Each thread, each color, each stone carried meaning. The breastplate held the names of the tribes over the Cohen’s

From Hiddenness to Joy We live in a world of hiddenness. We do not see God. We do not see the full picture of our lives. We do not understand why certain things unfold the way they do.  That hiddenness is not a flaw in creation; it is part of its design. The Torah tells us that there are hidden things that belong to God and revealed things that belong to us. God’s ways are deeper than our understanding. Divine orchestration nowadays does not announce itself. It moves quietly

Holy Discomfort Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and the 70 elders ascend the mountain, where they are granted a vision of God. The Torah tells us that beneath God’s Throne of Glory is a,                                           “ livnat hasapir ” a sapphire brick. Rashi, a Medieval commentator, explains that this brick recalls the bricks the Jewish people were forced to make in Egypt. It was placed there to teach us that God sees our suffering and is always present with us. But

This Parsha with the Greatest Revelation in Jewish History is Called Yisro. Parashat Yisro contains the most extraordinary moment in human history, the revelation of God and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. God speaks. A nation hears.  This Parsha is called Yisro, named after Moshe’s father-in-law, a former pagan priest. The Torah opens with two simple words:  “Vayishma Yisro”  And Yisro heard. The Midrash teaches that the voice of Sinai echoed across the entire world.

From Slaves to Partners: Remembering the Song Parashat Beshallach includes a description of the fleeing Israelites reaching the shores of the Reed Sea blocking their way forward. The Egyptian army is chasing them from behind. They are scared; they cry out to God who tells them to move forward. Until this moment, the Israelites were slaves. Slaves react; they do not initiate. Slaves wait to be saved. At the sea, something shifted. Nachshon ben Aminadav stepped forward. The peo