The story is told of Rabbi Akiva, who was martyred by the Romans for refusing to give up the study and teaching of Torah. As the hour of his death grew near, it was time to say the morning sh’ma. Akiva began – sh’ma yisrael. His students were amazed. “Even now, [...]
Archive for September, 2007
Sh’ma – Listen.
Posted in Divrei Torah on September 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
You Never Know…
Posted in Divrei Torah on September 13, 2007 | 1 Comment »
We never know. We don’t know what the future will bring us, and our own pretense of security is too often shattered in an instant. Life reaches out and grabs our fragile coat, shaking us to the core.
E Pluribus Unum…Jewish Style
Posted in Divrei Torah on September 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Remember our little town in Russia from the beginning of the service? The one with the Rabbi and the Chief? It reminds me a bit of Anatevka, of “Fiddler on the Roof” fame. I imagine that by midmorning, the news had spread throughout the town of the Rabbi’s arrest, and I imagine [...]
Emerging from the Eclipse…
Posted in Divrei Torah on September 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
At first blush, the text I’ve chosen to read seems like an odd choice, given the reason so many of us are here this morning. A service of celebration, expressing gratitude to an extraordinary woman who is moving from our community, and here we’re going to read a passage that takes Israel to task [...]
Gratitude
Posted in Divrei Torah on September 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Todah Rabbah. Thank you.
Thank you for joining me in fulfilling the mitzvah of sh’mittah, the sabbatical, by letting me lie fallow for a season – first in 2005, and then again over the summer that is now ending. I pray that the blessings ordained by God for observance of the sabbatical year will [...]
