In this week’s Torah portion, Joseph is in Pharaoh’s court. He has been elevated from being a poor Hebrew boy, a servant of the chief steward and being kept in prison, to being in charge of Pharaoh’s court and in charge of all the land of Egypt. Joseph attains this...
D’var Torah for Mar 26, 2016: “Tzav” [Lev 6:1 – 8:36] SHABBAT SHALOM! This week’s portion, called Tzav which means command or order, repeats with additional details the laws of sacrifices that were presented in last week’s Parashat Vayikra. In this week’s portion we learn about the sacrifices for the...
Presented by Al Kohn on 04/16/2016 This week’s Torah portion is Metzora (מצורע), a word that means “leper.” or “one being diseased.” The word appears in the second verse of the reading, which says, “This is the law concerning the leper when he is purified and placed under the jurisdiction...
Presented by Al Kohn on 9/5/2015 When you enter the land that the Eternal your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the Eternal...
Delivered June 2015 Korach, Dathan and Abiram, and 250 of the community, combined to oppose the authority of Moses and Aaron, saying to them: “You have gone too far! What right have you to set yourselves over the Lord’s people?” Upon hearing this, Moses said to Korach and his followers:”...
Delivered March 2014 Shabbat Shalom. This has been a most challenging parasha both to learn to chant and to grapple with in meaning. I look to the music to find key words. There are two often repeated words with melismatic tunes. In the first line is “AHARON.” Aaron. He merits...
Delivered: November 15, 2014 by Joe Nalven Parashah: Hayyei Sarah – Genesis 23.1-25.18 The title of this week’s parashat is The Life of Sarah, a life, which in its totality ends, as with us all, in our mortality — and a quest to find a burial place. It is also...
Delivered: October 5, 2013 by Louise Winheld Parashat: Noach – Gen. 6:9-11:32 SHABBAT SHALOM! Have any of you heard of Michelle Obama? What about Eric Greitens? Barbara Van Dahlen? William McNulty? Jake Wood? You will, this morning. These are special people, as you can tell by my grouping them with...
Delivered: June 15, 2013 by Al Kohn Parashat: Chukat – Num. 19:1 – 22:1 Verses 1-2 of chapter 20 of this parashat, Chukat are as follows: 1 The Israelites arrived in a body at the wilderness of Zin on the first new moon, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam...
Delivered: June 1, 2013 by Al Kohn Parashat: Sh’lach L’cha – Numbers 13:1 – 15:41 At the insistence of the children of Israel, and with God’s’ permission, Moses sends twelve scouts, one from each tribe, to investigate Canaan. Anticipating trouble, Moshe changes Hoshea’s name to Joshua, expressing a prayer that...
