Emor for Teens: Shabbat Sha-raps
Change of Name: Change of Status
These days, people alter their names for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they are getting married or divorced, they wish to assume a stage name, they want to correct their name, or they simply don't like their name. Some but not all of these cases represent a change in status.
Hospitality: Can We Do Better?
Biblical stories often form prototypical frameworks that define and shape later Jewish behaviors.
Noah: A Case Study in Transformation
At the beginning of Parashat Noach , it is apparent that the earth and everything living on it are in need of serious transformation. We read: "The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with violence" and ". . .
On the Permanence of Graves
Burying one's dead-what could be a more rudimentary cultural ritual? The scene in which Abraham buys a gravesite from a Hittite for Sarah is often commented upon for the highly stylized negotiation that results in the acquisition.
There Is “No” Other
When I am preparing a family for the funeral of a loved one, we meet privately to recite the phrase Baruch Dayan HaEmet, "Blessed is the True Judge," as we put a tear in the black k'riah ribbons of mourning. We acknowledge that saying the words and hearing the sound are harsh.
Vayishlach for Teens: Shabbat Sha-raps
In this parasha, Jacob and Esau are going to meet, possibly to fight, but first Jacob meets someone who tells him of his great future. Jacob is renamed Israel (which means “one who wrestles with God”) and goes to meet Esau, and they have a joyous reunion. Isaac then dies, and sadly, so does Rachel as she gives birth to her last child. Listen to learn more about the family.