Rabbi Ian Chesir-Teran

Vayeshev: No to Nekamah

This Chanukah, let’s choose to follow the examples of Joseph and Tamar, and say no to nekamah. When the time comes to say the “Al Hanissim” prayer, let’s skip the vengeful words “nakamta et nikmatam.”
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Holy Human Rights Chutzpah

This Shabbat, Dec. 8-9, is not just the weekend before Chanukah; it’s also that of International Human Rights Day.  We honor this global holiday, Jewishly, when we reread our sacred stories through a human rights lens. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document of great...
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Spreading a Sukkah of Peace Over a Person in Sanctuary

My community in Boston, Nehar Shalom Community Synagogue, is part of a sanctuary cluster of six houses of worship—three Christian, three Jewish—supporting a man lacking immigration status who is currently a guest in one of the churches. I had the privilege to speak at a Sanctuary press conference during the deeply reflective days of turning...
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Lift Up Your Lulav And Yourself

This past summer, my family moved out of our cramped New York apartment and into a beautiful new home in western Massachusetts. The people are wonderful, there are farmstands selling local fruits and veggies everywhere, and there are lots of hiking trails minutes from our front door. But if you’ve ever moved to a new...
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Promises Broken, Promises Kept

In Parshat Vayera, we are reminded of the crucial role water plays in the life of all human communities. In Genesis 21, we read about the banishment of Hagar and Yishmael from their home, and how God revealed a well of water in Hagar’s moment of despair. Immediately following this, the Torah describes a negotiation...
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