Robert Tornberg

Robert Tornberg is a Jewish educator with nearly forty years of experience in synagogue schools, day schools, and as the Education Director of DeLeT at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Currently completing the dissertation for his Ph.D. in educational administration and program evaluation, he plans to develop an independent consulting practice focusing on program evaluation and professional development for Jewish schools, synagogues, and other organizations. 

Torrah and Kippah
B'chukotai

Reflection in Multiple Ways

D'Var Torah By: Robert Tornberg
Parashat B'chukotai is the final Torah portion in the Book of Leviticus. Here we have learned, perhaps more than we ever wanted to know about the statutes, rules, and details of the work of the kohanim, the priests, and the sacrificial system. In the midst of all this we were
Torrah and Kippah
B'har

For God's Sake

D'Var Torah By: Robert Tornberg
Parashat B'har begins in a very unusual way. "The Eternal One spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: . . ." (Leviticus 25:1-2). Since the Book of Exodus, we have come to expect phrases in the Torah like "The Eternal said to
Torrah and Kippah
Passover

What Would Moses Say?

D'Var Torah By: Robert Tornberg
In the Babylonian Talmud ( M'nachot 29b) there is a wonderful midrash 1 in which Moses is depicted as watching God sitting and writing crowns (embellishments that look a bit like crowns) on some of the letters in the Torah. Moses asked God why the Holy One was doing this
Torrah and Kippah
K'doshim

Can We Taste the Holy?

D'Var Torah By: Robert Tornberg
The word kadosh is usually translated as "holy," as in the Holy Land, the Holy of Holies, the Holy Ark, and the High Holy Days. Three times a day, in the K'dushah part of the Amidah, the standing prayer, we say "Holy, Holy, Holy is Adonai Tz'vaot," which is one
Torrah and Kippah
Chol HaMo-eid Pesach

A New Look at the Seder

D'Var Torah By: Robert Tornberg
As someone who has spent over forty years as a Jewish educator, I have always been fascinated by the Pesach seder. In fact, I have often said that it is the most perfect "lesson plan" ever created. The seder, when planned and done well, is truly "experiential education" at its