“Did Christmas Ruin Hanukkah?” and Other Questions Jewish Teenagers Ask
One of our 8th graders, Noah, in Project Gadol (our monthly teen learning program) challenged me this week to teach about Hanukkah and last month’s events in Pittsburgh, at the same time making sure this all related to cookie decorating.…
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Proximity Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
As Parashat Vayeishev opens, we learn that while Joseph is Jacob’s favorite child – he receives perhaps the most famous gift of all time, the coat of many colors, from his father – he is unpopular among his brothers. He…
Read moreInside the Hebrew School Project: Spotlight on Fourth Grade
The big idea for the year in Fourth Grade is Jewish Heroes, beginning with a study of heroes in the Book of Judges, from the Hebrew Bible, known as the TaNakh. The period of the Judges occurs in Jewish history…
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Wrestling for a Better Nation
Thanksgivings in my Wisconsin childhood were brisk affairs: cool weather, bare trees, an occasional flurry. But inside our house it was warm. We had a fire going in the living room, the bridge table was set up for my parents…
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Parshat V’yetzei – Sibling Rivalry Continues
It is the perfect recipe for a family disaster. Parashat V’yetzei, recounts Jacob’s 20-year stint living with his uncle Laban, acquiring two wives (Leah and Rachel) and two maidservants (Bilha and Zilpah) who collectively bring him 11 of his 12 sons…
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Always Courage, Always Hope
Today marks the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht or “Night of Broken Glass.” On November 9 & 10, 1938, the Nazis in Germany carried out a nationwide pogrom against German Jewry which claimed hundreds of lives, destroyed 267 synagogues, ruined more…
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Blessings to Share | Parashat Toldot
Weekly D’var Torah Commentary Parashat Toldot “Two nations are within you.” One would be forgiven for believing that these words are a poetic representation of the current divisive moment in our nation. However, these are, in fact, God’s words to…
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How You Get There | Parashat Chayei Sarah
Life can be so entangling sometimes. Complications arise on a daily basis. Demands pile up. We make lists to get through. And the structure, the map to getting things done, is actually a comfort, giving order to the chaos of…
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A Message about Pittsburgh
Dear Friends, The JCP community expresses its profound shock and sadness at this morning’s synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, PA. Early reports indicate that there are multiple casualties and deaths and thankfully law enforcement has the suspect in custody. At JCP,…
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Parashat Vayera: It’s a Family Affair
Weekly D’var Torah Commentary Parashat Vayera | Genesis 18:1 – 22:24 If we read the Torah as a book of rules, the “do’s and don’ts” of living a Jewish life, it can sometimes feel distant, abstract, and hard to relate to…
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