15 years ago, Rabbi Louchheim wore a Hawaiian shirt for Friday Night LIVE! — he doesn’t remember why.
On April 5th, 2019, Rabbi challenged all of you to write a modern Midrash accounting for why we wear these shirts.
Thank you to everyone who answered the call! More
Tag: frontpage
The New Light: May/June 2019
Voluntary Assessment Progress
Drash on Parashat Ki Tisa: The Women’s Jewelry
Moses was on top of Mount Sinai for quite some time. The people grew impatient when he was “delayed in coming down from the mountain” (32:1), and they asked Aaron to make an idol for them. But why does Aaron tell the men, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives” (32:2)? Rashi explains that Aaron did this because the women will resist, not willing to give up their jewelry, and create a delay. This would give Moses time to arrive in time. More
Drash on Parashat T’tzaveh
You shall command the Children of Israel to bring you pure beaten oil for a light, to cause the lamp to burn continually (Exodus 27:20).
Abraham Saba (1440-1508), the Tzror HaMor, taught, “Israel is likened to an olive, which yields up its oil only when it is crushed, for Israel reveals its true virtues only when it is made to suffer.” This is not surprising coming from a rabbi who lived during the expulsion of Jews from Spain. More
Town Hall Meeting
On Sunday, February 10th, we held a Town Hall Meeting. The first hour was devoted to discussion about different ways to sustain our congregation, including a possible voluntary commitment model (click here to download the PowerPoint presentation). The second hour focused on the proposed bylaws changes which we’ll vote on at the Annual Meeting on Monday, May 6th at 6:00 p.m. (click here to download the PowerPoint presentation). You can view both portions of the meeting below. More
Drash on Parashat T’rumah
“And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among [within] them” (Exodus 25:8).
I found this teaching among my resources: Every soul is a chamber for God, a vessel that contains the divine light. This is the message the Hasidic masters repeatedly associate with the Tabernacle, built by the Israelites in the desert. The details of its construction are complex and vast, much like Ikea furniture arriving on your doorstep with the instruction: “Some assembly required.” More
Drash on Parashat Yitro
Every Saturday, the Torah is read, and then it is interpreted by the rabbi. In the Torah portion, Yitro, the people receive the Torah from Mount Sinai. In this story, who do you suppose is the “Torah reader” and who is the “Torah interpreter”? Almost everyone responds that the Torah reader is God. And they would be wrong! More
Drash on Parashat B’shalach
“And the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt, and Moses took the bones of Joseph with him…” (Exodus 13:18-19)
What were the weapons that the Israelites took with them? Rabbi Moshe Meiselman, nephew and student of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, teaches that the armament was comprised of the bones of Joseph. More
Drash on Parashat Bo: Into the Darkness
And the Eternal said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one another, nor any rose from his place for three days. But Israelites had light in places where they lived (Exodus 10:21-23).