Here’s the question Parshat Terumah asks us: How do we create sacred space in our own lives? It might be through setting aside time for prayer, making our homes places of kindness and learning, or building relationships infused with holiness. Just as the Mishkan and the sukkah remind us that God’s presence is not confined to a building, so too can we bring holiness into every space we inhabit.
Jewish tradition calls upon us to uphold justice and compassion in all areas of life, and reproductive rights are no exception. The laws of Parshat Mishpatim remind us that justice is not abstract—it is about ensuring that the vulnerable are protected, that individual dignity is respected, and that ethical decisions are guided by wisdom and care.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
