Jewish stars spray-painted by settlers onto the deserted shops left by Palestinians after they were expelled from Shuhada Street. Bullet holes shot by settlers into the water tanks of Palestinians, who already have erratic and dramatically insufficient water supplies. The palimpsest of “Free Palestine” where settlers have spray painted bold blue stars over the green...
A Sermon for Rosh Hashanah, 5772 Rabbi Barbara Penzner I’d like to start by talking about the movies. Who here has seen “Moneyball”? Who is planning to see it? Good, that means that you may have some idea about the movie. It’s the story of Billy Beane, general manager of the 2002 Oakland Athletics....
Mishpatim teaches that formal justice must be free of influence from bribes or wealth status, and that even the stranger deserves protection. In my home state of Montana, regressive laws recently passed in our 2023 state legislature have revoked rights and freedoms from Montana residents under the guise of “protection” and “freedom of speech."
“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...
Prayer for Tisha B’Av Actions A prayer by Rabbi Mónica Gomery designed to be read preceding or following the sounding of the shofar at a collective protest on Tisha B’Av. The use of this resource has helped unify Tisha B’Av events across the country. T’ruah’s Past Tisha B’Av Divrei Torah Commentaries by Rabbis Edward C. Bernstein, Ruhi Sophia...
Commentary on Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1 – 24:18) So, we’re free from bondage! We’ve accepted our lot as God’s chosen people! Now we eagerly move on to… a list of regulations for a hypothetical society we cannot build yet? Why is Parshat Mishpatim here? The essential clue, I think, is in the first topic: rules...