Rosh Hashanah Torah Learning
We hope you will take a chance not only to explore, but also to share and leave your own mark on our community’s offerings for these holy days. We share the following words and art with love and ask that you follow our guidelines when posting:
- B’shem Amro – In the name of the one who said it
We ask that you offer your own original works or that if you wish to share work of others that you give credit where credit is due. - Nidivut Lev – Generosity of heart
Be kind to yourself and others in this space. Our goal is to create connections and strengthen our community. So, please, open your heart. - Dina d’Malchuta Dina – The law of the land is the law
We ask that this space be one that is free of politics. We are here to discuss what we, as a Jewish community, can do to thrive and walk in God’s ways, not to debate November’s election.
Something to Chew On – Texts for Discussion
Please join us in sharing and learning Torah, here, at the beginning of the year. Take a deep breath, center yourself, and then dive into the texts and questions that follow below.
The Broken Tablets
The Broken Tablets By Rodger Kamenetz The broken tablets were also carried in an Ark. In so far as they represented everything shattered everything lost. They were the law of broken things. The leaf torn from the stem in a storm. A cheek touched in fondness once but now the name forgotten. How they must
Rabbi Hama, Son of Rabbi Hanina, and Rabbi Hoshaya
Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi Hanina, and Rabbi Hoshaya– one said, “Is there a nation like this nation? Ordinarily someone who knows they are on trial wears black and wraps themselves in black and lets their beard grow since they do not know how their trial will turn out. But that is not how it
The Great 19th-Century Ethicist, Rabbi Israel Salanter
The great 19th-century ethicist Rabbi Israel Salanter insists that one who neglects to consult others while making important decisions is not qualified to be a leader of a Jewish community. This is what he writes in one of his letters: “One who stands firm and stubbornly maintains their original position without seeking the advice of
Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Ishbitz
Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Ishbitz, also known as the Mei Shiloach, explains that “a person can only uphold the teachings of the Torah when they have stumbled in them”. Questions to Consider and Discuss: Why must we stumble to understand? What do we learn in practice that we cannot learn in theory? If we must
Rav Zusha
Rav Zusha Rav Zusha was lying on his deathbed surrounded by his disciples. He was crying and no one could comfort him. One student asked his Rav (teacher), “Why do you cry? You were almost as wise as Moses and as kind as Abraham.” Rav Zusha answered, “When I pass from this world and appear
