I went to services with a group one Shabbat this summer, at a place where none of us were accustomed to going. Where we were or what we were doing together this summer are for other blog posts; [...]
Our Rabbis teach that Moses prayed 515 times to enter the Land of Israel. Yet, his wish was denied. The greatest prophet our people have ever known ultimately faces his mortality as an outsider. [...]
The factory town of Gary, Indiana became the model for schools in what was called the “Gary Plan” at the beginning of the 20th century. Its structures are familiar to anyone who has spent time in [...]
In the second of this week’s two Torah portions, Ma’asey, the Jewish people stand on the banks of the Jordan River poised to enter the Land of Israel. They are commanded to make war with the [...]
Zelophehad’s five daughters—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah—were not happy, and for good reason. Moses had announced the Torah’s inheritance laws, and they were unfair. Land could only be [...]
There is no question that Judaism is a religion that believes, first and foremost, in action and behavior that eventually leads to faith in something greater than ourselves – an [...]
Parashat Korach is most well-known for an intense narrative about Israelite leaders who rise up and rebel against the authority of Moses. Korach, the self-appointed leader of the rebellion, was [...]
One of the “greatest hits” of Parashat Naso is a well-known passage that is both completely inclusive and also fraught with divisiveness. In Numbers Chapter 6, verse 22, we see one of only two [...]
Any student of design should be intrigued by the intricate layouts of structures and camps within our sacred texts. Our ancestors had a clear understanding of how important layout and design was [...]
Parashat B’chukotai comes at the conclusion of the Book of Leviticus, and we read verses that delineate the blessings and curses that come to the Israelite people if they follow – or depart from [...]