Posted by in judaism, Torah Commentary 20 You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly. 21 Aaron and his sons shall set them up in the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain which is over [the Ark of] the Pact, [to burn] from evening to morning before the Lord.…Read more »
Posted by in Torah Commentary Rosner’s Torah-Talk: Parashat Vayechi with Rabbi Denise Eger.
Posted by in glbt, judaism, tikkun olam, Torah Commentary Here is my interview in the Advocate. Although they got some facts wrong. My Ordination year is wrong—it is HUC-JIR 1988. I came out publicly in 1988 What Does Judaism Say About LGBT People? | Advocate.com.
Posted by in glbt, judaism, tikkun olam, Torah Commentary This is an important Review of the New book The Sacred Encounter: Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality. It is edited by Rabbi Dr. Lisa Grushcow of Montreal, Canada. It is published by the CCAR Press . I have two chapters in this collection one on Taharat HaMishpacha-family purity and another on the history of LGBT inclusion within…Read more »
Posted by in Israel, Torah Commentary This week’s Torah portion Ki Tavo gives the Israelites explicit instructions having to do with entering and living in the land of Israel. There are specific rituals outlined to ensure that this group that has been a nomadic tribe for almost 40 years be tied to the holy land of Eretz Yisrael. The Israelites are…Read more »
Posted by in glbt, judaism, politics, Torah Commentary Our Vice-president Joe Biden recently spoke at the Los Angeles gala of the Human Rights Campaign. Here is my take on his keynote as published by the Jewish Journal.
Posted by in Torah Commentary Parshat Beshallach Exodus 13:17-17:16 Miracles abound! This week’ Torah portion Parshat Beshallach is filled with miracles. Not only are the Children of Israel finally on their way toward freedom, God parts the sea for them, finishes Pharaoh and his army, and ensures the survival of the Israelites! Yes indeed miracles, abound. The army of the Pharaoh is…Read more »
Posted by in Torah Commentary Parshat Toledot Genesis 25:19-28:9 This week’s Torah portion Toledot is about Isaac, the second of our Patriarchs. And yet the Torah portion never really tells us much about it him as it does about the people surrounding him. We only get glimmers of who Isaac is. We learn of his marriage to Rebekkah and the…Read more »
Posted by in Torah Commentary Parshat Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1 – 25:18 This past summer I had one of the most powerful spiritual experiences in Israel that I ever had. I visited the Cave of Machpela, the tomb of our ancestors in the ancient city of Hebron. I prayed before the tomb of Abraham and Sarah, the first Jews according…Read more »
Posted by in Torah Commentary Parshat Bereshit Genesis 1:1 – 6:8 This week we start the reading of the Torah from the first column of the scroll. This week we read Parshat Bereshit, the very first portion in the Torah and the descriptions of creation as imagined by our ancestors. I say descriptions in the plural because there are at…Read more »
Walking Humbly. Seeking Justice. Living with Hope. 