Thunder on the Mountain

These days, moments as overwhelming as Sinai are few and far between, but the blessing on thunder invites us to cultivate awe even in the everyday. It’s a call to reawaken our sense of purpose, just as the Israelites did when they stood at the foot of the mountain, trembling yet ready to accept their covenant with God.

Grand Spectacles and Small Miracles

Was the splitting of the sea just about the moving water? Or was it also about the Israelites having the courage to step into the unknown, trusting that the path would open before them? Perhaps the real miracle wasn’t just in God’s actions, but in the partnership between God’s actions and human faith.

Darkness and Redemption: Reflections on Parashat Bo

On Tuesday evening, a group of Portland area clergy had a virtual town hall meeting with Governor Tina Kotek. Given recent changes in immigration status and rules per the new administration in Washington, DC, there is tremendous confusion, fear, anger, and anxiety.

A Taste of Haste

As we read Parshat Bo, think about the “matzah” in your life. What are the moments that require us to act with both haste and faith? How can we find meaning in simplicity, even on the complicated journey toward freedom?

A Post-Inauguration Edition

The twilight of bein hashemashot, the ambiguous time between day and night, evokes a profound sense of uncertainty and anxiety. For the Sages of the Talmud, this liminal moment posed Jewish legal challenges—a space neither fully day nor fully night, a realm where duties could be misunderstood or incorrectly performed. Their solution was to eliminate the ambiguity by assigning bein hashemashot to either day or night, depending on what ensured that halachic obligations would be met without error.

On Stretching and Unwinding

Part of the morning Birkot HaShachar is essential in its relation to our physical presence each day, but it also reflects the themes of liberation and the restoration of dignity present in Parshat Vaera, which we read this week. 

Redemption Song

Parshat Shemot marks the beginning of the Exodus and redemption of the Israelite nation from Egypt to the story of their own nationhood. The themes of redemption and sacred human dignity repeat again and again throughout the book because redemption is both a human experience and a partnership with the Divine.