The Finest That We Have To Offer (Parshat Tetzaveh)

Commentary on Parshat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20 – 30:10) In religious and spiritual communities, I am often asked to “shed layers” — that is, to dig deep into my soul, discerning what truly matters and letting go of the rest. There is a sense that spiritual connection has to do with getting rid of the extra...
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Ways to Give

Thank you for your tax-deductible gift, which brings a rabbinic moral voice to human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. Donate Online Donate by Mail Make your check out to: T’ruah266 West 37th Street, Suite 803New York, NY 10018 Join the Shofar Society By giving monthly to T’ruah, you amplify the moral...
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Giving Tuesday 2018

On #GivingTuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, every gift you make to T’ruah on our Facebook page will be doubled — that’s twice as many dollars lifting up the rabbinic moral voice we desperately need right now. To make sure your gift is doubled, donate on our Facebook page after 8 a.m. (EST). Facebook and PayPal have set aside...
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From Racism to Liberation: Confronting Tzara’at in Our Society

In our parashah, we learn about the mysterious affliction tzara’at. Further on in the Book of Numbers, Miriam the Prophetess is stricken with tzara’at as a punishment for speaking against her brother Moses. Miriam and her other brother Aaron – we’ll have to save the question of why Aaron goes unpunished for another d’var Torah...
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Inescapable Face

“There is a commandment in the appearance of the face, as if a master spoke to me. However, at the same time, the face of the Other is destitute; it is the poor for whom I can do all, and to whom I owe all. “ —Emmanuel Levinas Rabbi Joshua, the son of Levi, said: at...
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Free At Last?

“Maybe it’s time to move the museum displays to the side,” she said, “and get back to work.” That’s what one of my students said, and I couldn’t have been prouder. Recently, I had the privilege of journeying with members of our staff and teens from our congregation on a service/learning trip to New Orleans...
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My trip to Immokalee

CONGREGATION SHA’AREI KODESH 2nd Day of Passover MARCH 27, 2013 ©  RABBI LOUIS RIESER   Hag kasher v’Sameah. I want to thank Rabbi Baum for this invitation to speak about my experience in Immokalee with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.  In January I joined 9 other rabbis to learn first-hand about the conditions...
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The Voice Trembles

A few weeks ago I sat in a hearing room of the Washington State House Judiciary Committee. I was there to testify on behalf of a coalition of interfaith and Jewish groups for passage of a bill that would hopefully limit gun violence in my state. The bill would create an “extreme risk protection order,”...
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