Resources
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Chanukah: Spread Love and Righteousness
The Chanukah lights are intended for people on the “outside” — those on the margins. The internal practice of Chanukah is to turn outward and examine how we help illuminate God’s holiness for people on the outside of our society.
“THEY FOUGHT BACK, USING EVERYTHING THEY HAD AVAILABLE”: Democracy and Theology in Independent Afro-Jewish Communities
A conversation between Rabbi Walter Isaac, PhD, and Rabbi Koach Baruch Frazier on the role of Black Judaic communities in innovating democratic ideals in the Americas.
Lessons for Democracy from the Holocaust
A d’var Torah for Yom HaShoah. In many respects, World War II seemed like a triumph of democracy. When the Allies defeated the Axis powers, the world celebrated that democratic nations had been victorious against fascism. On May 8, 1945, Victory Day, Americans danced in the streets and threw confetti from the rooftops to celebrate...
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“Now We Are Free”: But Who Pays the Price?
A d’var Torah for Chol HaMoed Pesach. “Let My people go,” God famously said to Moses. We usually don’t finish the quote, which ends “…so that they may serve Me.” Freedom, the rabbis say quite plainly, is another kind of servitude. The cheirut, freedom, that the Jews achieved on Passover (z’man cheiruteinu, the time of...
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Where we go from here
A d’var Torah for Pesach by T’ruah rabbinic intern Frankie Sandmel and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. This d’var Torah is based on Dr. El-Sayed’s remarks on the T’ruah webinar on March 18, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic will, without doubt, be at the center of all our Passovers. No matter how you mark the holiday, the impact...
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COVID-19 Seder Supplement
The supplement offers a discussion activity for the Four Children and a reading to deepen the significance of opening the door for Elijah.
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The Sacrificial Artform
In this d'var Torah for Parshat Tzav, novelist Ruby Namdar reflects on the power of sacrifice and sacrificial imagery.
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Everybody Hurts: Learning from Leviticus to Reclaim Public Ritual Repentance
In this d'var Torah for Parshat Vayikra, Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie examines our ancient tools for healing transgressions.
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And they Assembled
A prayer for Shabbat Vayakhel-Pekudei 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Restoring the Dignity of Refugees Should Be Part of Living in a Democracy
Sabrina Lustgarten, Country Director for HIAS in Ecuador, writes that Parshat Vayakhel emphasizes "the importance of harmonizing wills to achieve a common good."
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What’s So Bad About the Golden Calf?
In this d'var Torah for Parshat Ki Tisa, Daniel Handler struggles with symbols that become more important than morals.
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Prayer for Healing During COVID-19
Harachaman, Compassionate One, You are “rofeh chol basar umafli la’asot,” healer of bodies, who does wondrous deeds. The wondrous bodies that You have made for us now feel more fragile. The openings by which we perceive Your world now feel more vulnerable. We are anxious and frightened by the uncertainty of what is to come....
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