At the end of last week’s Torah reading, we met Avram and Sarai. This week, in Parshat Lekh-Lekha, they become the focus of the narrative. God promises that they will be the parents of a great nation. The only problem is that they are infertile. Still, God reinforces the promise, and it will take another week Continue Reading »
As we read the story of Noah and the flood in the Torah portion named for its hero, there are so many obvious songs that come to mind. I’m going to try to be a bit more subtle in my selections this week See if you can connect these songs to the Torah portion. Continue Reading »
As we begin the Torah reading cycle again at Parshat Bereshit, we learn what it means to turn chaos into order (or, to use the religious term, Cosmos). My challenge to you, dear reader of the Shabbat email and of the weekly Torah portion, is to imitate God and make some order out these scrambled Continue Reading »
On this first Shabbat of 5782, we contemplate and commit to coming home. Shabbat Shuvah, so named because the prophet Hoshe’a urges us to return to God in light of our stumbles, is an opportunity for deep introspection. This year, it’s also the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on our country, a day etched Continue Reading »
This is the final Shabbat of 5781. As we prepare to turn the page on the calendar and enter a New Year, we read Parshat Nitzavim. The Torah reading reinforces the eternal nature of the Covenant God makes with the People of Israel. It’s good to have this idea ringing in our ears as we prepare Continue Reading »
The music world was saddened this week by the passing of Charlie Watts, the original drummer of The Rolling Stones. By all accounts, he was one of the kindest people in the music business. To honor his memory, this week’s musical Torah portion scavenger hunt will be all music by The Stones. Read through Parshat Ki-Tavo and see if Continue Reading »
Seventy-two of the Torah’s commandments appear in this week’s Torah portion, Ki-Teitzei. This includes a wide variety of themes with legal significance. Can you identify which mitzvot are hinted at in the following songs? There’s one for each aliyah, so read the whole parshah to find the clues. 1990s Anger from The Offspring Thomas Continue Reading »
This Shabbat is the 40th anniversary of my Bar-Mitzvah, so I have a special affection for this week’s Torah reading, Shoftim. The portion is best known for its classic phrase, “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” But it’s rich in laws that are core to the worldview of the author of the Book of Deuteronomy. I hope Continue Reading »
After being in Israel for two weeks, I am honored to resume teaching the weekly Torah portion through music. I encourage you to read this week’s parshah, Re-eh, and learn about it through these YouTube clips. What do the following songs have to do with this week’s reading? The Clash ask an eternal question Hot Summer Continue Reading »
This Shabbat, in addition to being Rosh Hodesh, has the longest Torah reading of the year. The double parshah of Mattot and Mas’ei is full of narrative about the Israelite wilderness journey, including a detailed travelogue. The Masorites, who codified the system of chanting the Torah that we call trope, knew that reciting the litany of stops and starts along the Continue Reading »
