I’m thrilled you are exploring Society Hill Synagogue and have found your way to the page of Divrei Torah, words of Torah, which are part of a generations-long Jewish practice of refracting sacred Jewish teachings through the light of our own day and age.
For me, Judaism is an opportunity to nourish ourselves, grounded in the Jewish story: a story that has unfolded throughout the generations, with twists and turns, tragedy and triumph, serving as a source of life to those who engage with it.
The Jewish People are known as B’nei Yisrael: the people who wrestle with the Divine. The name comes from that moment in our tradition in which it is understood that our ancestor Jacob “wrestled with a figure,” a figure understood to be a manifestation of that very Divine Being (see Genesis 32).
That moment produced a legacy of sacred wrestling; grappling; seeking to make meaning of, and find purpose in, our time on earth.
These Divrei Torah are my efforts, in conversation with the community of Society Hill Synagogue, to make meaning and to find purpose, seeking to serve this community, our broader world, and the Divine.
I hope you find meaning in them yourself, and I encourage you to reach out to me if you would like to discuss their contents or to discuss becoming a part of the Society Hill Synagogue community. Welcome!
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Remarks from Hanukkat Mezuzah — Building Dedication Ceremony
I’d also like to share with you the remarks I offered at our Hanukkat Mezuzah, our modest Building Dedication Ceremony on Sunday, in the hopes that they help lay out for us an intention as we occupy our newly revamped spaces, including the Paula Kline Learning
Who’s Directing What?
This past week we studied Parashat Vayeshev, the Torah portion known as Vayeshev, which means “He [Jacob] dwelled.” The Torah portion begins with Jacob having settled down as the scene shifts to the lives of his twelve sons, most notably Joseph, to whom, as the eldest
Breaking Up Time Is A Sacred Act
Happy Thanksgiving! Don’t worry (if you were): I’m not writing this email on Thanksgiving; I’m spending time with my family. That’s the beauty of the “schedule send” function that is now so common in email services. But this topic of creating space away from work
What Got You Here Won’t Aid You There?
This past Shabbat we studied Parashat Vayetzei, the Torah portion known as Vayetzei, in the middle of the Book of Bereshit (Genesis), chronicling the formative episodes of our ancestors as they develop from a family into a nation. The Torah portion picks up with our ancestor Jacob leaving (Vayetzei comes
A Bar Mitzvah’s Reflections on Abundance and Scarcity
This past Shabbat, we celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of Aldo. Aldo’s parashah (Torah portion) was Toldot. Toldot literally means something like “lineage;” it is related to the common Hebrew words yeled and yaldah, which mean boy and girl, respectively, and which come from the root י-ל-ד, which means to give birth. In
We Have… Two Souls, Sometimes?
I wanted to share a version the remarks I shared this past Shabbat, at our first TGIShabbat in over twenty months. That evening, as on all Friday evenings, we sang the words v’shamru v’nei yisrael et hashabat “The Israelite people shall keep Shabbat… For in six days
Making Sense of the Covenant—How It Shows Up in Our Own Lives
This past shabbat we studied Lekh Lekhah, the third parashah (portion) in the entire Torah, the portion in which the scene shifts from the universal—think Adam and Eve, and Noah and his family, representing all of humanity—to the particular: God’s relationship with Abraham and Sara (initially named Abram
Finding the Sacred Invitations within the Mistakes — a Teaching by our Bat Mitzvah
Returning to our practice of reflecting back on the Torah offered at this past week’s Shabbat services, we’re fortunate to be able to share the Torah offered by this past week’s Bat Mitzvah celebrant, Clara. Clara’s Torah portion was Noah, that foundational story that articulates
A Letter to the Kids: Where Judaism Can Take You
Yom Kippur Sermon 5782 I want everyone to look around for a minute. Those in the sanctuary, and those at home. Maybe Ven, our camera person can pull back for a minute so that those at home watching on Zoom can take a look at
The Sacred Fire: Discerning How To Be In The World
Kol Nidre Sermon 5782 One of the stories that struck me this year going through our annual cycle of reading the Torah is one that is not often covered in your classic Hebrew School curriculum. Long after Noah and the flood, long after the Exodus
Pathways to God: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, and Adonai Avoteichem
Rosh Hashanah 5782 I think I know what the most important piece of Torah is. I know, it’s a lofty claim. It’s like saying you can identify the single greatest piece of art, the greatest piece of music, the greatest basketball player of all time.
Alienation and Reconciliation
We studied Parashat Shofetim, the Torah portion known as Shofetim, or, Judges. As a reminder, we find ourselves in the final book of the Torah, Devarim (Deuteronomy), where Moses is delivering his final speeches on the eve of their entering into the Promised Land without him. In particular, this week’s parashah had
A God Who Cares
This past week we studied Parashat Re’eh—the Torah portion known as Re’eh, which literally means, “See!” as in Moses telling the Israelites to see the choice that has been presented before them between blessing and curse. The parashah (Torah portion) picks up in the middle of a speech Moses
The Secret Ingredient
A couple of weeks ago, we lifted up the strange yet meaningful blessing called Birkat Hagomel which we say when we’ve made it through a harrowing experience, in which we say Baruch atah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam ha-gomel l’hayavim tovot, she-g’malani kol tov: Blessed are you Adonai, sovereign
Eternality and Expansiveness in Our Approach to Shabbat
This past Shabbat, our second in a row in-person together as a community, we studied the weekly parashah (Torah portion) as we always do, probing its depths for meaning, asking what eternal meaning its words lend to our own lives, informing us, pushing us, causing us to