J Blog
Celebrating Sigd
Monday, November 1, 2021
On November 4, the holiday Sigd will be celebrated in Israel. The Sigd holiday originated from the Ethiopian Jewish community. Its name is derived from the Hebrew word for prostration (bowing down), "Sgida" (סגידה). During Sigd (celebrated on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan – 50 days after Yom Kippur) the community marks the renewal of the covenant, between the Jewish people, G-d, and the Torah. On ...
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Shabbat Message: Make Every Day Count
Friday, October 29, 2021
וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים
ֹֽAbraham was now old, advanced in years... (Gen. 24:1)
This verse can also be translated to mean that “Abraham came to his old age with all his days.” Perhaps this means that ...
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Welcome to Family Corner
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the very first edition of the J's Family Corner! We will use this space to offer interactive and thoughtful ideas for family engagement with the Parshat Hashavua (weekly Torah reading). Each week we will offer a summary of the weekly portion as well as videos, crafts, a brief thought, a book recommendation from PJ Library and more. We hope you enjoy!
Parsha Summary – Parshat Chayei Sara
Abraham purchases the ...
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Shabbat Message: Guests, Immigrants and How To See
Friday, October 22, 2021
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Abraham is depicted as a person committed to kindness, specifically welcoming in guests. A closer look at Abraham's actions sheds light just how far reaching this Mitzvah is. There are also profound lessons here in the realm of social justice.
This week’s Torah portion begins with the story of God visiting Abraham. As if a visit from God is not strange enough, what happens next really takes us by surprise.
While Abraham is visiting with ...
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Shabbat Message: Why Look Forward
Friday, October 15, 2021

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ ...
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Shabbat Message: Work and Dignity
Friday, October 8, 2021
Does the Torah support guaranteed work? While it is hard to answer affirmatively to this question, what is clear is that work is valued in the Torah as a source of dignity. As such, we should build a society that provides work for all those who are willing to work.
וַתָּבֹ֨א אֵלָ֤יו ...
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Shabbat Message: Serve the Earth
Friday, October 1, 2021

One of the grand ideas presented in the Torah is that humanity is created in God’s image.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ ...
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Shabbat Message: Finishing and Completing The Torah
Friday, September 24, 2021
We are coming close to the end of the yearly cycle of reading the Torah. We will finish it, but can we complete it?
תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת ...
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Book Review: Cultural Disjunctions: Post-Traditional Jewish Identities
Monday, September 20, 2021

In Cultural Disjunctions, Paul Mendes-Flohr examines the reality that Modern Jews mix their Judaism with a wide range of other identities, or as Wendy Doniger puts it, (quoted by Mendes Flohr on page 22), adopted “other people’s myths”. His essential question is how can Jews create a robust identity that is fully engaged in the Jewish experiment but not exclusively Jewish?
Shabbat Message: Ha'azinu Parsha
Friday, September 17, 2021

יַעֲרֹ֤ף כַּמָּטָר֙ לִקְחִ֔י - תִּזַּ֥ל כַּטַּ֖ל אִמְרָתִ֑י - ...
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