by Zabe Williams This week’s parashah, Vayeira (“he appeared”), presents us with a non-stop drama, “rich in the complexities, passions, and challenges of family and communal life” (Rabbi Kim Geringer, The Torah: A Women’s Commentary Study Guide). Most of these stories are familiar ones: Sarah learns she will finally produce a son, despite her and her husband Abraham's advanced age; Abraham challenges the morality of the complete destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to no avail, as the fire and brimstone rain down to obliterate the area; Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and two of his daughters are saved from destruction at the last minute by supernatural messengers though his wife is not; Sarah and Abraham celebrate the birth of their son, Isaac, who will inherit the covenant with Abraham’s God; Sarah then demands that Abraham “cast out” Hagar and Ishmael to protect her son’s inheritance; Hagar and Ishmael face death in the desert and are saved by an angel; Abraham negotiates a treaty with Abimelech, king of Gerar, and settles in Beersheba; and finally, one of the most infamous of Torah stories, the testing of Abraham and the “binding of Isaac” that culminates with Isaac’s (and Abraham’s) last minute salvation. These are only the highlights!

by Sharon Zydney This week’s Torah portion, Lech L’cha (Genesis 12:1 - 17:27) tells of Abraham leaving the land of his birth, the known, and moving on to an unknown place, a place that God will show him. Abraham and his household do as asked, taking all of their possessions and arrive in the land of Canaan. God promises the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. After traveling to Egypt to escape famine, Abraham eventually returns to Canaan and settles there. God then reminds Abraham that the land “to the north and to the south, to the east and the west, for all the land that you see I am giving to you and your descendants, forever.” This previously unknown place becomes not only home for Abraham but also for the Jewish people. WRJ is now at a place very much like where Abraham was in the beginning of this parashah. We are facing a transition, a move from a place of the known to a place that is unknown. November 4-8 in Orlando, FL, the delegates attending the WRJ Assembly 2015 will be voting on significant changes to the WRJ Constitution, changes that will ensure our continued growth as we move into our second century. The result of these constitutional changes will enable WRJ to be more representative of all women who support our work and want to engage with WRJ.

by Rozan Anderson There’s probably no one among us who doesn’t know the famous story of Noah and the ark. The tale is central to this week’s parashah, Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32). It is a story of a world gone corrupt and God’s decision to hit a reset button: why, how, and the aftermath. Now, I’m not saying that our world today needs such a major reset. Indeed, after the flood, God created the rainbow as a covenant with all living things, with a promise to work together, rather than to erase and keep starting anew.

by Lisa D. Singer B’reishit: in the beginning...the story of creation. This parashah is the first portion of the first book of our Torah. In chapter one God creates heaven and earth. God makes light and darkness, day and night; forms the earth and seas; and vegetation. God creates living creatures that inhabit the seas and the sky and the earth. This was all accomplished in six days. On the seventh day God finished the work and declared the seventh day holy. In chapter two God formed man and called him Adam. Then God planted a garden in Eden with beautiful trees and edible food. Everything was perfect and pure. However, God forbids Adam to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If he does he shall die.

by Mindy Grinnan This Shabbat is known as Chol HaMoed Sukkot; we read from Exodus 33:12-34:26. As an engineer, I constantly question and seek to understand the meaning of our sacred texts. It seems to me that the Torah is a blueprint as to how we should live our lives and is designed to teach people right from wrong, how to eat healthy without refrigeration, how to perpetuate the Jewish people, how to survive, etc.

Did you know that glossophobia is the fear of public speaking? According to a recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health, about 74% of people have this fear, ranking it as the most common fear in the world. Does your heart start racing when it’s time to present a speech? Do your legs and hands begin trembling prior to approaching a podium? If so, you are not alone in the modern day world, nor in the biblical world. We all remember when God appears to Moses at the burning bush. There Moses was instructed to lead the Jewish people out of slavery and into the land of freedom. However, Moses persistently responds with, "Please, O my Lord, I have never been a man of words (Lo ish d'varim anochi), either in times past or now that You have spoken to Your servant: I am slow of speech (k'vad peh), and slow of tongue (u'ch'vad lashon)" (Exodus 4:10). Here we have one of our greatest Jewish heroes humbly protesting and replying to God, no, I am sorry, I can not assist you, I am not a good orator, therefore I can not redeem the Jewish people. This is one great example of how strong the fear of public speaking can be for anyone.

by Leslie Brier This weeks parashah is Parashat Vayeilech, from Deuteronomy 31:1-30. Vayeilech translates to “he went.” It recounts the events of Moses last days after he is told that his time is near the end. Leadership will be transferred to Joshua. Moses entreats Joshua to be courageous and be strong. Moses tells Joshua that God will be with him. In the Talmud it says that the time of a ruler cannot infringe on the time of the next ruler. Recently, many sisterhood boards and WRJ District boards have changed leadership. The lesson of the Talmud is important to remember. It is hard for leaders to transfer leadership when they have worked hard to strengthen their sisterhood or district and made their mark. What if the new leaders take the sisterhood or WRJ Dstrict in another direction and don’t share your vision? This is a time to remember to be like Moses who was the paradigm of leadership: have selfless concern coupled with wise guidance. Fortunately, WRJ and its sisterhoods have resources to help with this transition. From past presidents to the WRJ Chai Society to the WRJ Consultants there are opportunities for both the past leaders and new leaders to grow.

by Annice Benamy

"You are standing, all of you, before Adonai your God—your leaders, your tribes, your elders, your officials, every person in Israel; your wives, your children, and the stranger in the midst of your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water—so that you may pass into the covenant of Adonai your God…and not with you alone do I make this covenant and this oath, but with he who is present, standing here with us today before Adonai our God, and with him who is not here with us today."  Deut. 29:9-11 and 13-14

Parashat Nitzavim (meaning “stand”) lays down a foundation for Judaism in that the Torah is declared valid for all generations and to every member of the community. Women and men, officials and laborers, those standing before Moses and future generations commit to uphold the terms of the covenant. The people are reminded to love God with all their hearts and souls and must fulfill their part of the covenant through their loyalty to God and God’s teachings. God gave each individual and the entire community two clear choices: life and prosperity or death and adversity.

by Susan Pfeffer This week’s Torah portion is Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8), which means “When you enter.” In this parashah Moses tells the people of Israel that after they have settled in the land that God gave them, they should bring the first fruits of their orchard to the Holy Temple and declare gratitude for all that God has done for them. The instructions for bringing the First Fruit say that when the Israelite comes to the sanctuary he should identify himself historically, as in this familiar quote: “A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous” (Deuteronomy 26:5).