As we approach Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you one of our tradition's beloved stories. It is the only Jewish story I know which features a turkey, and that makes it seem appropriate for this week. I hope you will enjoy this video.
Has anyone reminded you to make sure you’re wearing clean underwear? If you’re like me, you’ve had it drilled into you that no matter what, when you leave the house, always make sure you’re covered for any eventuality. If there’s an accident or an emergency, you want to be not only prepared, but presentable.
Friends, I don’t know about you, but the recent news from Pfizer and Moderna did me a world of good. Yes, it will still be quite a long time before vaccine production can be scaled up sufficiently so that we can return to a semblance of the life we all knew before this pandemic. I liken it to the old aphorism of the light at the end of the tunnel.
It’s strange that I never let my car gas tank go below a quarter tank, for fear that I might get stranded somewhere, but when it comes to my own physical and spiritual health, I don't always pay enough attention to how close I am to empty. A helpful lesson from Parshat Toldot.
I have been reading a memoir about home by author David Biespiel. If you are unfamiliar with him, David is an acclaimed author, poet and memoirist who lives in SE Portland and is the Poet in Residence at OSU.
Perhaps you've noticed, but I'm not tall, which sometimes means things are slightly out of reach for me. But regardless of mezuzah height, or the position of a heavy Torah, Judaism teaches that God is always within reach, as Abraham suggests for the very first time in this week's Torah portion.
If you were around in the 1980’s you most likely remember the “united colors of Benetton.” It was a remarkably successful ad campaign for the clothing company, which pitched and celebrated diversity as its brand identity. Well, let me share with you the united colors of Neveh Shalom.
