The last time I was in Israel, I wrote a monthly column for the local Minneapolis Jewish online newspaper TCJewfolk on the topic of what American Jewish communities can learn about Jewish practice from Israel. This year, I’ve decided to write weekly Risisei Torah called “Torah from the Holy Land”, which are short reflections on anything from the weekly parsha, to drashot on tefillah, to my experiences in Israel. Part of my intention for this project is for communities across America to be able to interact with me on my journey, and to be able to share some good Torah coming from Israel. If you’d like to share these with your community, please do!
Parshat Emor – To Live In Israel
Torah: To Live In Israel Until the morrow of the seventh week, you shall count fifty days, and you shall ...
Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim – What Seeds Have You Planted? | The Proper Intention
Torah: What Seeds Have You Planted? When you shall come into the Land, and you shall plant all types of ...
Seder – Our Love of the Land of Israel
“Go and learn what Lavan the Aramean wanted to do to our father Jacob” When we tell the story of ...
Parshat Tzav – What Does It Mean To Be Shalem? | The Eternal Offering
Torah: What Does It Mean To Be Shalem? One of the sacrifices which the Torah expands upon in our parasha ...
Parshat Vayikra – Humbling the Self Before the Other | Four Types of Sacrifices
Torah: Humbling the Self Before the Other It’s no secret that this world is becoming more and more polarized. I’ve ...
Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei – Two Realms of Community Building | Power of a Minyan
Torah: The Two Realms of Community Building Last week, I participated in a trip with Perspectives, an organization seeking to ...
Parshat Ki Tisa – Higher and Higher | Al Netilat Yadayim
Torah: Higher and Higher The Lord said to Moshe, “Go, ascend from here… to the Land that I swore to ...
Parshat Tetzaveh – Words Matter | R’tzei and the Language of Sacrifice
Torah: Words Matter Parshat Tetzaveh reads more like a fashion magazine or manual than a typical Torah story. It specifies ...
Parshat Terumah – When The Trees Were Martyrs | Or Chadash | Mishkan Song!
Torah: When The Trees Were Martyrs “The political, economic and cultural welfare of the Arabs will thus always remain one ...
Parshat Mishpatim – Little By Little I Shall Drive Them Away | V’charot Imo Ha’Brit
Torah: Little By Little I Shall Drive Them Away “I shall send the hornet-swarm before you and it will drive ...
Parshat Yitro – One Love, One Heart | Shabbat Morning Kiddush
Torah: One Love, One Heart “In the third month from the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, on ...
Parshat B’Shalach – Why Do You Cry To Me? Go Forth! | Vayar Yisrael et Mitzrayim
Torah: Why Do You Cry To Me? Go Forth! Parshat B’Shalach focuses on the climax of the Israelite’s quest to ...
Parshat Bo – The Power of Liminality | Tefillin
Torah: The Power of Liminality at Camp This d’var was written for the weekly Ramah Wisconsin mailing. It has been ...
Parshat Va’era – A Hierarchy of Needs | The Essence of YHVH
Torah: A Hierarchy of Needs In this week’s parasha, the people of Israel struggle under the weight of their oppression, ...
Parshat Shemot – The Power of Women | Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, Elohei Ya’akov
Parshat Shemot – Torah From The Holy Land Torah: The Power of Women On Friday, President-Elect Donald Trump will be ...
Parshat Vayechi – Embracing the Pain || Yamin u’Smol
Parshat Vayechi- Torah From The Holy Land Torah: Embracing the Painful In the Torah scroll, all parshiot either begin on ...
Parshat Miketz – From Eretz To Exile (and Back) | Hanukkah
Parshat Miketz – Torah From The Holy Land Torah: From Canaan to Exile (and Back) In last week’s parasha, Joseph ...
Parshat Vayeshev – Women of the Wall and Joseph’s Faith | Psalm 148
Parshat Vayeshev- Torah From The Holy Land Torah: Women of the Wall and Joseph’s Faith Last week, a bill was ...
Parshat Vayishlach – To Be Both Israel and Jacob | Elohei Avoteinu
Torah: To Be Both Israel and Jacob “Then Elohim said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not ...
Revealing the Hidden – Parshat Vayeitzei
Parshat Vayeitzei – Torah From The Holy Land Torah and Tefillah: Revealing the Hidden The last few weeks have been ...
Let’s Talk About Israel – Parshat Toldot
Torah: Let’s Talk About Israel A few weeks ago, we toured Masada, the impressive Herodian fortress made famous as the ...
The Power of Blessing and the Origin of Mincha – Parshat Chayei Sarah
Parshat Chayei Sarah – Torah from the Holy Land The Missing Blessing A few weeks ago, as I was walking ...
On Rebuke and Cleaving to haShem, and Psalm 95 – Parashat Vayera
Vayera: On rebuke and cleaving to haShem Torah From The Holy Land by Rabbinical Student Sam Blustin As haShem prepares ...
Lashon Hakodesh (The Holy Tongue) and Magen Avraham – Parshat Lech Lecha
Torah From the Holy Land Torah: Lashon Hakodesh (the Holy Tongue) יג וַיָּבֹא֙ הַפָּלִ֔יט וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאַבְרָ֣ם הָֽעִבְרִ֑י וְהוּא֩ שֹׁכֵ֨ן בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֜י ...
Shedding the Fur Coat and Faith – Parshat Noah and Tov l’hodot
Torah – A Tzaddik in a Fur Coat Chassidic master Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk once referred to a certain rabbi ...
Bereshit: A Primordial Light and Yotzer Or – Parshat Bereshit – Torah from the Holy Land
Torah – Bereshit: A Primordial Light Have you ever gazed longingly at the sky on a star filled night, pondering ...
The Key To Youth and the Aleinu – Parshat V’zot Ha’brachah – Torah From the Holy Land
The Key To Youth – V’zot Ha’brachah וּמשֶׁ֗ה בֶּן־מֵאָ֧ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּמֹת֑וֹ לֹא־כָֽהֲתָ֥ה עֵינ֖וֹ וְלֹא־נָ֥ס לֵחֹֽה: (דברים לד:ז) Moses was ...
Directing Our Eyes, Ears, and Heart to God – Parshat Ha’azinu – Torah and Tefillah
Torah – Directing Our Eyes, Ears, and Heart to God מו וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ שִׂ֣ימוּ לְבַבְכֶ֔ם לְכָ֨ל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָֽנֹכִ֛י מֵעִ֥יד בָּכֶ֖ם ...
Loving at a Cost – Parshat Ki Teitzei
יח: וְזָֽכַרְתָּ֗ כִּ֣י עֶ֤בֶד הָיִ֨יתָ֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וַיִּפְדְּךָ֛ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ מִשָּׁ֑ם עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָֽנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לַֽעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּֽה 18: You shall remember ...
