Photo of the author, Rabbi Aaron Leven

Shmini: “Aaron was Silent”

Real intimacy — with the Divine and with each other — is an ability to say I will show up, but only if I can demand that when there is destruction there is rebuilding, when there is grief there is space to mourn, when there is heartbreak there is space for healing.
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The Triple Lives of Refugees (Parshat Shemot)

Commentary on Parshat Shemot (Exodus 1:1 – 6:1) The opening lines of the book of Exodus serve as a bridge between a family history and the birth of a nation. Somehow, in an infinitesimal span, the progeny of one man becomes an entire people: the Israelites. And a very prolific one at that. The new...
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Rabbi Ali (Sagadencky) Lawton

Ali Sagadencky is a third year rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion, California. Ali was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She completed her undergraduate and graduate work at Pepperdine University, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts as well as a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis on Early Childhood...
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“What Is That In Your Hand?”

Alone in the desert, a comfortable Moses is shepherding his flock when he is captivated by flames burning in the distance. Approaching with caution, the Torah tells us that Moses simply cannot turn away from the burning bush. As he moves closer and closer, God calls out to him, and he responds with a single...
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Why Sukkot Matters This Year More Than Ever

This work is essential, now more than ever. But this work is also exhausting. Just like the holiday of Sukkot, our world is also one of contradictions. There is good within all the chaos, although right now it might be hard to see.
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Rabbi Laura J. Abrasley

Rabbi Laura  J. Abrasley joined the Temple Shalom clergy team in July 2015. She grew up in Houston and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in psychology. Her path to becoming a rabbi began with many summers spent as a camper and then counselor at the URJ Greene Family Camp in Texas. After...
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