Category: 5776
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Vayikra 5776: “If Destruction Be Our Lot”
Judaism is a tradition of great debates: Hillel vs. Shammai. Mystics vs. Rationalists. Hasidim vs. Mitnagdim. Rashi vs. Rabbenu Tam. But, without a doubt, the most confounding debate in Jewish tradition is the debate between Rambam…and Maimonides. Rabbi…
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Pekudei 5776: “Exodus and Revolution”
[Two significant milestones in the shul this week that deserve mention. 9pm Maariv minyan completed six months without interruption. Impressive bein adam l’havero and bein adam l’makom. Daf Yomi completed Gittin and begins Kiddushin on Sunday morning]. **** …
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Shekalim 5776: “Renew Us, As of Old”
I want you to try imagining being in the following situation (but keep your eyes open – no falling asleep). Imagine you are traveling out of state and before returning home you go to catch an…
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Ki Tissa 5776: “Legal Creativity”
When Sara and I were newlyweds we moved into our first apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts. It was in the process of furnishing that small apartment that I discovered a latent talent, a gift, if you will. We purchased…
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Tetzaveh 5776: “Function, Form, & Esthetics: Architecture and the Art of Argument”
One can learn a lot about a community through looking at its architecture. Sixty years ago, when this building was built, the small playroom off the back of the shul served as the shul sukkah. The…
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Mishpatim 5776: “Quality Time vs. Quantity Time”
A humorous email was distributed this past week that compiled a “true dictionary” for the those working in the non-profit sector. Some examples from the email: If you see a job description that says, “Looking for a self-directed…
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Yitro 5776: “Big Questions or Hard Questions: On the Purposes of Jewish Leadership”
A father once sat down with the young man his daughter was planning to marry. They had not yet met and the father wished to learn more about the man who would become his son-in-law. “You…
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Bo 5776: “Pharaoh vs. Powerball”
They say a lottery is a tax on those who aren’t good at math. If that’s true, then that’s a tax that I really ought to pay. Nonetheless I did not buy a lottery ticket (I’m…
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VaYechi 5776: “Jewish Unity and Its Discontents”
This past Tuesday morning, students at forty Jewish high schools across North America gathered together, using video conferencing technology, and marked the completion of the study of the entire Mishnah. A collective learning project, a siyum, of this…
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VaYeshev 5776: “Whodunit?”
A terrible crime takes place in this week’s parasha. Who is guilty? The crime is the kidnapping and sale of Yosef. Few crimes are as cruel and the Torah itself includes a severe punishment for one who…
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld 