D'var Torah

A self-proclaimed “melting pot,” a country that declared its independence by asserting that all men are created equal, should continue to be a sanctuary and refuge.

God entrusts us, flawed mortal beings as we are, with the responsibility to figure it out and take care of each other.

It is indisputable that there is serious, ongoing, and systemic racism in the institution of American law enforcement.

T'ruah invites Massachusetts clergy to use this toolkit as a way to connect the decarceration of women and girls in the Commonwealth with Shabbat Hazon.

It is not enough to mourn. Mourning must be accompanied by actions that end the harm being done. 

Israel is too important for us to throw up our hands and turn away, just because it feels like we’re losing. Israel needs us and we need them.

...let us strive to learn from Zelophechad’s daughters, seeking good wherever we can find it.

We find in our tradition that God dwells not in the destruction, but in the moment right before rebuilding.

I like to imagine that Balaam’s words changed us and shook us out of our complaining so that we could see ourselves in a fresh way.

When we escalate from anger to contempt, to what 19th century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer described as “the unsullied conviction of the worthlessness of another,” we move our gaze from a person’s actions to their individuality, their personhood.