Parashat Bo: Ask questions and grow
Chaverim, It is a wonderful coincidence that our Torah reading, parshat Bo, the section that deals with the culminating plagues and the exodus, turns three times to the subject of…
Rabbi Adrian Michael Schell
Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
Rabbi Adrian Michael Schell
Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
Parashat Va’eira: Each person has a name.
Each person has a name. We each have a name given by God and given by our father and mother. We each have a name given by our stature and…
Let us not allow “collective forgetting”
One of the most haunting and alarming verses in the Torah comes at the beginning of this week’s portion of Sh’mot: “A new king arose in Egypt who did not…
Let us not allow “collective forgetting”
One of the most haunting and alarming verses in the Torah comes at the beginning of this week’s portion of Sh’mot: “A new king arose in Egypt who did not…
Parashat Miketz: Jew by choice should feel pride and be viewed as courageous
In this week’s portion, Miketz, Joseph moves from being falsely imprisoned to becoming second in command in Egypt. As Joseph settles into his new life, he is given a new name by…
Chanukah @ Bet David
Chanukah (13. – 20. December 2017) Chanukah begins this year on the evening of Tuesday, 12 December. We celebrate the beginning of Chanukah with a short service, followed by a…
Parashat Vayishlach: “Encountering God”
In our Torah portion for this week, we are told of Jacob’s fears, and of his wrestling with a man-angel who changes Jacob’s name to Israel. Following that struggle “Jacob…
Shabbat Vayeitzei: If – Then – Else
A joke is told about the New York man driving around desperately seeking a parking place. He can’t find one, and so in desperation, he says, “Oh God I pray…
Parashat Toldot: Living For Tomorrow
One day, Jacob was making a stew when his brother Esau came in from a long day of being in the field and… “Esau said to Jacob, ‘Pour … me…
Two Cities—two lessons—one people
This Shabbat we learn of two cities and two lessons. Each of these cities offers us a value and a cautionary note. We relearn these values and we recall their…