Cantor Jacqueline Rafii: Avinu Shebashamayim
Cantor Jacqueline Rafii: Avinu Shebashamayim
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z’l: Bereishit “The God of Creation and the Land of Israel”
Rabbi Sacks’ essay on Bereishit is painfully pertinent and poignant, coming for this week’s parashah. He quotes Rashi, who wrote that the parashah should have begun with “This month shall be to you the first of months (Exodus 12:2)” instead of “In the beginning”.
Yerushalayim Shel Zahav
performed 2 years ago with a message that is especially relevant today:
Yerushalayim Shel Zahav | Rabbi Angela Buchdahl & Cantor Dan Mutlu | Yom Kippur 5782
Rabbi Rachel Barenblat (aka The Velveteen Rabbi): My Heart is Heavy
Rabbi Barenblat writes a beautiful poem expressing the pain of this week’s events:
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z’l: Re’eh – Defining Reality
The purpose of leadership is to frame reality for the group. They show the group the map and the destination. As Rabbi Sacks states, ‘no one did it more powerfully than Moses’. As Moses says, “I am setting before you…the blessing and the curse…”. Please follow the link below to read his article on Re’eh, which we read for Shemini Atzeret:
Rabbi Rachel Barenblat: Rejoice/Fragile
We woke this morning to the news that Israel is officially at war with Hamas. My heart is heavy with grief. It’s especially heartbreaking on Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah. Like the Yom Kippur War, almost exactly fifty years ago, this coordinated series of attacks via land, sea, and air were a shock on a day of national religious celebration.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z’l: Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah Family Edition
Rabbi Sacks writes about the tension between the universality of nature—the Four Species being a ritual of rain while eating in the succah depends on the absence of rain, and the particularity of history—the long journey through the wilderness. He continues to observe that the God of Israel is the God of all humanity while the religion of Israel is not the religion of all humanity.
Rabbi Rachel Barenblat: Simchat Torah
Rabbi Barenblat blogs about celebrating Simchat Torah at home with her cat during the pandemic. She has included 7 poems to be sung for the hakafot. Please follow the link below for her thoughts on the hakafot and her poetry:
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila: A Memorial Tribute to Rabbi Meir Abitbol, z/l
Rabbi Ruditsky cites the song “The Sounds of Silence” to highlight a key theme in Ha’azinu – there is no such thing as silence and on Shabbat Shuvah, we are required to listen.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: Ha’azinu
Rabbi Sacks writes about the spiritual power of music. Moses used the technique to present a message to the people in such a way that they would hear it and absorb it. He cites many other instances in the Tanakh where music was applied for spiritual purposes. As he states, “when we pray, we sing.”