I need human help to enter verification code (office hours only)

Sign In Forgot Password
Home

Divrei Torah - Guests/Members

Divrei Torah - Guests and Members

These talks were delivered by members and guests on Shabbat and holidays.

Other talks by members, including some High Holyday talks, are available in Members’ Writings (members only).

Read more...

Drawing Closer - Dvar Torah on Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1–5:26)

Stan Fleischman

5769

Vayikra

I. Introduction

Today we started reading the third book of the Torah, called Vayikra. This is also the name of the first parsha in this book. The name derives from the first Hebrew word in the parsha “And He called” – referring to Adonai calling out to Moses from the tent of Meeting (Mishkan).

Vayikra is commonly known by its Greek name, Leviticus, so called because it contains the...Read more...

D'var Tazria/Metzora -- (Leviticus 12:1–15:33)

Esther Kohn

5769

D'var Tazria/Metzora

You gotta love Leviticus. Bodily fluids, pus, sores, rashes, discoloration, fungus, ah the list goes on. I was lucky enough to select April 25 to offer a d’var torah. This year, as in most non-leap years, it’s a double header, not just one parsha but two, two wonderful parshot, Tazria and Metzora, that describe everything you wanted to know about skin affliction and more. Challenging, yes. And I...Read more...

Parshah Shemot: Burning Bush? What Burning Bush?

Susannah Zisk

January, 2009 5769 Burning Bush.pdf

 

Burning bush? What burning bush? 

“An angel of the lord appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. Moses said ‘I must...Read more...

Korach’s Rebellion: A Revisionist Dvar Torah

Stan Fleischman

5767

Korach

As we inexorably segue into the 2008 Presidential Election Campaign, we become increasingly confronted by professional spinmeisters and the candidates themselves offering “spins” to cast in the best light their statements, misstatements, and contradictory voting records.

Thinking about Korach’s rebellion in the context of today’s political jockeying does not seem irrelevant to me. Simply put,...Read more...

Experiences in the Pit

Cindy Rivka Marshall

D'var Torah on Parashat Vayeishev -- Bat Torah of Cindy Rivka Marshall:

16 December, 2006/5766

Experiences in the Pit

OK – so, some of you are probably thinking: she doesn’t look 13! What is this woman doing? Well, as some of you may know, a Jewish person becomes a Bat or Bar Mitzvah when they turn 13, no matter whether or not they have a ritual to mark it. I did not have a ritual when I turned 13. I was raised...Read more...

My Brother Esau Is An Hairy Man, But I, I am a Smooth Man

Stan Fleischman

5765

dvar - scapegoat.pdf

It may seem strange that the parsha right before Pesach deals, in large part, with instructions to the High Priest about how to celebrate Yom Kippur, which is about six months away. However, we should keep in mind that both holidays are New Years celebrations: Passover commemorates our exodus from Egypt and celebrates our birth as a nation, while Yom Kippur, the day Moses descended from Mount Sinai...Read more...

Parsha Ki Tisa – March 13 God’s Thirteen Attributes of Mercy

Stan Fleischman

5764

Parsha Ki Tisa – March 13

God’s Thirteen Attributes of Mercy

[First, let me start with a summary of this week’s parsha.]

At the heart of this week’s parsha is the story of the Golden Calf. The Israelites, fearing that Moses (who they credit with their liberation from Egypt, rather than an invisible God) will not return from his ascent of Mount Sinai, create a Golden Calf in the desert, and...Read more...

Divrei Torah - Guests/Members

Susannah Zisk

Jacob and Esau

Parsha Toldot

The opening section of Parsha Toldot (Genesis 25:19-34) tells the story of the birth of Jacob and Esau and the circumstances surrounding Esau’s well-known decision to spurn his birthright...Read more...

Thu, September 18 2025 25 Elul 5785