Resources

Photo of the author, Rabbi Sarah Weissman

Ki Tetze: Safety and Dignity for All Workers

The Torah teaches us that we have a special duty, not only to avoid exploiting, but to actively care for the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities. As we celebrate Labor Day, let us do all we can to ensure that every person [especially immigrant workers] can live and work in safety and dignity.

Responsibility, Guilt, Teshuva

Sources and guiding questions to help inspire and support Jewich clergy as they bring the ethical teachings of our tradition to their communities this High Holiday season.

Changing the Conversation: A Resource for Israel and Palestine Education

Want to read this resource as a pdf? Download here. What is this resource? In this moment of heartbreak, overwhelm, and moral reckoning, many of us are searching for ways to have authentic conversations about the realities on the ground in Israel and Palestine. So many in our communities are yearning to connect with people...

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Vayera: Paragons Protesting Power

by Rabbi Matt Dreffin

Like Abraham, we are called to step forward, raise our voices in defense of those whose rights are being violated, and advocate for a more just and compassionate world.

Vayera: War Ethics from Kabbalah

by Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson

What feels so hard in this moment is that I don’t know what the right course of action is. One of the problems I see in the world’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack is a preponderance of either Chesed or Gevurah thinking.

The Wisdom of Welcome

by Rabbi Steve Greenberg

Welcome, it appears, does not end at the door. It is a commitment to walk with vulnerable guests as they emerge from the protection of our homes and enter the public square.

In Our Rabbis’ Eyes, “Sodomy” Meant Toxic Selfishness

by Rabbi David Polsky

As a whole, the rabbinic discussions about Sodom demonstrate that, for the rabbis, the true definition of “sodomy” is toxic selfishness combined with an extreme devotion to property rights.

Drawing Near to Injustice

by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt

There are moments when we want to close our eyes, to stop listening, and to take a break from what ails the world.

Vayera: Two Models of Governance

by Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky

Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky reflects on the sins of Sodom and modern-day parallels in this d'var torah on parshat Vayera.

Report from El Paso, November 2019

by Rabbi Jill JAcobs

A firsthand account from Rabbi Jill Jacobs, T'ruah Executive Director, of the joint T'ruah-HIAS border delegation, November 2019.

Is Three a Magic Number? (Parshat Vayera)

by Rabbi Daniel Bronstein

Commentary on Parshat Vayera (Genesis 18:1 – 22:24) This edition of Torah from Truah is sponsored by Dale Gardner in memory of her sister Rhonda Kolarik. “Three is a magic number.” One can surely ascribe meaning to almost any number or any letter of the alphabet. But let’s consider the number three for a moment....

Controlling Anger

by Rabbi Shelly Lewis

I never saw my beloved teacher, Abraham Joshua Heschel, lose control as he stood up for some of the most urgent issues of his time, civil rights for all, ending the war in Vietnam, and liberation for Soviet Jews. His words burned with passion as did his actions. His presence, the intense look in his...

Promises Broken, Promises Kept

by Lauren Tuchman

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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Rosh Hashanah

Tzom Gedaliah

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