In my professional work with middle school students, teaching reading and writing, I often find myself talking about compassion. It is difficult for these young adults to feel compassion for the characters in the books we read—and it is especially difficult...

From the time I was a teenager, I have always thought of myself as a feminist.  I firmly believe that women should be offered all the same opportunities as men. I earned a college degree planning to have a career.

“Maybe don’t wear that necklace on the plane.” “If people ask, maybe don’t tell them you’re Jewish.” “Be careful who you trust.” Traveling throughout my life, I was taught that being Jewish was something that not everyone in the world or country may like.

In Parashah Chukat, “God said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and find a completely red cow on which there is no blemish and no yoke has ever come. You shall give it to Eleazar, the priest, and he shall take it outside the camp and...

There is something a bit disturbing about reading a Torah portion with insurrections and plague in 2021. Parashah Korach (Numbers 16:1 – 18:32) contains two different rebellion- Korah’s challenge to Aaron’s leadership of the priesthood and Dathan and...

In mid-March, I was part of the WRJ Legislative Body Meeting, where we affirmed resolutions and approved changes to the WRJ Constitution.

“And the land shall not be sold irreversibly, for Mine is the land, for you are sojourning settlers with Me.” [Lev. 25:23]

The Book of Leviticus concludes with Parashah B'har-B’chukotai. The blessings and curses that come to the Israelite people if they...

Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23) is of special significance to me this year since it was my twin daughters’ b’not mitzvah parashah 20 years ago this week. I also realized that as I approached my 65^th birthday in June, this is the fifth anniversary (times.

In The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, Nancy Fuchs Kreimer points out that one way women could participate in drawing closer to God was via the system of complex laws and rituals around preparing and eating food. For instance, when preparing braided bread for Shabbat, we take a small piece of dough called the challah, then burn it, representing the showbreads sacrificed at the temple. Now, we are pulling out our family recipes and preparing our homes for Pesach, a holiday celebrated with the ritual of seder, or order.

Due to COVID precautions, the days often seem to blend into one another. To combat disorder, I ritually use my calendar feature and program reminders on my phone to keep my daily routines going. In addition, I have chosen to add action items to my checklist that not only have intention, but also impact and meaning, as a way of practicing my Korban, or a way of drawing closer to God.