Weekly D'var - October 11, 2025
10/13/2025 03:00:00 PM
SHABBAT CHOL HAMOED
Jorde Nathan
Niggun
(Tune of ashemnu)
(Tune of selach lanu)
Does the al chet cause you to tremble or cheer?
Post Yom Kippur does the remnant of viduy make you eager or hesitant?
It should bring a deep feeling of joy. We should leave Yom Kippur and head straight into sukkot with a big smile…with simcha. Let’s explore.
Read more...
Weekly D'var - September 27, 2025
09/29/2025 12:30:00 PM
SHABBAT SHUVA / PARASHAT VAYEILECH
Peter Malnekoff
The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuvah, The Shabbat of Teshuvah because the haftarah reading from the Prophet Hoshea begins with the words Shuvah Yisrael and because Shabbat Shuvah always occurs during the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur.
Shabbat is supposed to be a day of joy and spiritual upliftment yet...Read more...
Weekly D'var - September 20, 2025
09/22/2025 12:30:00 PM
PARASHAT NITZAVIM
Eliana Roodman
I recently finished reading the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place in which the author, Aron Ralston, recounts his harrowing survival story. He was hiking alone in a remote area of Utah when a falling boulder pinned his arm against the wall of an extremely narrow canyon. He was trapped with some climbing gear, about 1000 calories worth of...Read more...
Weekly D'var - September 13, 2025
09/15/2025 02:00:00 PM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Ki Tavo: We Are What We Remember.
Weekly D'var - September 6, 2025
09/08/2025 12:30:00 PM
PARASHAT KI TEITZEI
Uri Heller
In preparation of this, I thought I would take from the old and new.
Ki Teitzei are about rules on both ethics and conduct Overview of Ki Teitzei the name translates to "When you go out," which refers to the opening verse instructing the Israelites on conduct when they go out to battle.
Ki Teitzei challenges readers to consider the ethical implications of their actions in various...Read more...
Weekly D'var - August 30, 2025
09/01/2025 10:30:00 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Parashat Shoftim: Power from the Outside or Self-Restraint from Within.
Weekly D'var - August 23, 2025
08/25/2025 10:30:00 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Parashat Re'eh: Collective Joy.
Weekly D'var - August 16, 2025
08/18/2025 12:30:00 PM
PARASHAT EIKEV
George Siegel
In the Wall Street Journal, Saturday, August 10, 2025, Barton Swaim, Editorial Page Writer, wrote: “The socialist impulse, like the poor it’s meant to aid, will always be with us, that it [The socialist impulse] proliferates when three circumstances converge: youth, disaffection and irreligion.” From what do these circumstances arise?...Read more...
Weekly D'var - August 9, 2025
08/11/2025 12:30:00 PM
PARASHAT VAETCHANAN
Harold Zarkowsky
The Torah portion begins with a plaintive Moses----“I pleaded with God, saying ‘Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan’.”
According to Midrash Rabbah, it was not a one-time prayer. Moses prayed 515 times for permission to enter the Promised...Read more...
Weekly D'var - August 2, 2025
08/04/2025 02:00:00 PM
PARASHAT DEVARIM
Dahlia Matanky
Shabbat Shalom and good morning! Thank you all for coming today just to hear me speak. And to celebrate my parents 25th anniversary, since I am sure you all knew about that as well.
Today we began Sefer Devarim with the first three chapters of the last book of Torah. Devarim, which means ‘words,’ is Moshe’s recount of the past...Read more...
Weekly D'var - July 26, 2025
07/28/2025 12:00:00 PM
PARASHAT MATOT-MASEI
Josh Gutstein
Forgiveness
In today’s double parsha of Matot-Masei, I am going to focus on the dominant story of Matot.
In the parsha Gd spoke to Moshe saying, נְקֹ֗ם נִקְמַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֵאֵ֖ת הַמִּדְיָנִ֑ים אַחַ֖ר תֵּאָסֵ֥ף...Read more...
Weekly D'var - July 19, 2025
07/21/2025 10:00:00 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Parashat Pinchas: The Zealot.
Weekly D'var - July 12, 2025
07/14/2025 12:00:00 PM
PARASHAT BALAK
Steven Adelman
The parsha today is Balak. I will be focusing on one issue: how G-d’s blessing of the Jewish people has prevented their destruction at the hands of a nation’s leader who planned to kill Jews.
We start with the fact that the King of the Moabites, Balak, was afraid of the rapidly growing Jewish community, which he considered a...Read more...
Weekly D'var - July 5, 2025
07/07/2025 10:00:00 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Parashat Chukat: Losing Miriam.
Weekly D'var - June 28, 2025
06/30/2025 10:00:01 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Parashat Korach: The Leader as Servant.
Weekly D'var - June 21, 2025
06/23/2025 12:00:01 PM
PARSHAT SHELACH
Reeven Nathan
Shabbat shalom esteemed congregants and guests, descendants of the 12 Spies…
PAUSE…
Oh yeah, and more importantly, relatives of the highly effective Mossad. Good thing our new-day spies not only defend Israel but serve as a bastion for defeating evil.
“We shall eat, and then shall daven.”
Not so fast now! I shall dvar <10 minutes, we shall conclude the...Read more...
Weekly D'var - June 14, 2025
06/16/2025 12:00:00 PM
PARSHAT BEHA'ALOTCHA
Teddy Gutstein
Shabbat Shalom. It is great to see you all from here. The last time I got to do this, I talked about the blasphemer in Parshat Emor on my bar mitzvah. Thank you, George, for organizing this and giving me the opportunity.
This week’s Parsha is Beha'alotcha, and we get a couple of interesting stories. Some notable events are that...Read more...
Weekly D'var - June 7, 2025
06/09/2025 12:00:01 PM
PARSHAT NASSO
Ed Millunchick
If you were going to choose a metaphor to describe the Holy of Holies, what would you choose?
Something like a throne room, perhaps? Maybe the eye of a hurricane?
One certainly wouldn’t choose in the first instance to compare the holiest place on earth to a … bedroom....Read more...
Weekly D'var - May 31, 2025
06/01/2025 12:01:01 PM
PARSHAT BAMIDBAR
Dr. Irwin Benuck
Numbers
אוַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהוָֹ֧ה אֶל־משֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל
מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩...Read more...
Weekly D'var - May 24, 2025
05/26/2025 11:30:01 AM
PARSHAT BEHAR-BECHUKOTAI
Cara Gutstein
This week’s double parsha, Behar-Bechukotai, is bursting with content. It is here that we get the laws for Shmita/the Sabbatical year and Yovel/the Jubilee year. We also read specifics on land valuation, release from servitude, gifts to the Temple of animals and land. But central to the parsha are the vivid descriptions of the life the people can expect if they follow God’s...Read more...
Weekly D'var - May 17, 2025
05/19/2025 10:40:00 AM
PARSHAT EMOR
Ethan Bo
Shabbat Shalom,
This week's Parsha, Emor, revolves around two main themes: the high behavioral and ethical requirements of the Kohanim and other high expectations for the Israelites, and the appointment of the Shabbat and major festivals on their specific days in the calendar. At first glance, these two topics may seem disjointed from one...Read more...
Weekly D'var - May 10, 2025
05/12/2025 10:00:00 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Parashat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: Love Is Not Enough.
Weekly D'var - May 3, 2025
05/05/2025 10:00:21 AM
TAZRIA METZORA
Uri Heller
For my mother’s 49th yahrzeit, I chose to share Nechama Leibowitz, a renowned Torah commentator, approach to the Tazria-Metzora parsha (Leviticus 12-15) regarding the laws of tzara'at (skin disease) and taharah (ritual purity), often exploring the underlying meaning and purpose behind the Torah's commandments.
Tzara'at...Read more...
Weekly D'var - April 19, 2025
04/21/2025 10:00:33 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Please click here to read Parashat Tzav: Why Civilisations Die.
Weekly D'var - April 12, 2025
04/14/2025 10:00:48 AM
Shabbat Shalom….. And Shabbat Hagadol Shalom.
I researched what is the history and meaning Of Shabbat Hagadol and I found fascinating Spiritual connections of our history to share with you today. Shabbat HaGadol means the GREAT SHABBAT and is the Shabbat immediately before Passover which is tonight, 04.12.2025.
According to Midrashic tradition and Torah, On The Tenth of...Read more...
Weekly D'var - April 5, 2025
04/07/2025 10:00:00 AM
Drash Passover
Jorde Nathan
Now is the part of the service … the SHABBAT SERVICE… where in every shul across the world someone comes up and takes about ….. the parashat. Wonder why? We have the entire week to learn the parashat and only one day for Shabbat. But on Shabbat we commonly discuss the parashat. I wonder why. Why not use the time on Shabbat to learn about shabbat? ...Read more...
Weekly D'var - March 29, 2025
03/31/2025 11:08:43 AM
Parashat Pekudei
Paula Madansky
“You are not required to complete the task, however you are not free to withdraw from it.”
This quote is from the Talmud, Pirkei Avot, Attributed to Rabbi Tarfon. One of the five rabbis we read about in the Maggid section of the Haggadah.
The songwriter and performer, Shaina Taub, quoted this in her acceptance speech at the 2024 Tony...Read more...
Weekly D'var - March 22, 2025
03/24/2025 11:00:52 AM
Rabbi Sacks Legacy: Covenant and Conversation
We are pleased to share the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l from his weekly Covenant and Conversation series. Please click here to read Parashat Vayakhel: Mirrors of Love.