Parashat Tzav (delivered by Student Rabbi Maayan Lev on March 18, 2022) Purim has come and gone, and, oh, what fun we had! It was so great to see everyone’s costumes, to hear the Megillah, and to sing songs together. I think it’s important to have time to relax and enjoy ourselves. In Judaism, that […]
Parashat Ki Tisa: Joining the Celebration or Not (delivered on 2/18/2022 by Student Rabbi Maayan Le) Shabbat shalom everyone. It’s so great to be here tonight with you all. Believe it or not, until tonight, I have never led a Shabbat service for a synagogue before on my own. So before we talk about […]
Parashat Vayechi: Loving Parents and Not Getting Weighed Down By Them delivered on December 17, 2021 by Student Rabbi Maayan Lev This week’s Torah portion, Vayechi, is about the death of Jacob, and the expectations he sets for his children while on his deathbed. A lot about the parent-child relationships can be learned from […]
Hanukkah and Parashat Mikketz 2021: The Importance of 2025 (delivered by Rabbi Sacks on December 3, 2021, the Shabbat of Hanukkah) Our Sages made sure that this week’s portion Miketz is read during or in immediate proximity to Hanukkah. They did so because of larger truths. Here the Rabbis and the Masoretes, the people […]
Haftarah for Lech L’cha 5782/2021 – Torah Study Shabbat Torah Discussion with Rabbi Sacks (given on October 16, 2021) Once again, yasher ko-ach to Maayan on his chanting of today’s haftarah. In the haftarah, Second Isaiah wants us to see ourselves as a people who live and act in the world as Abraham lived […]
Yizkor Sermon for Sh’mini Atzeret: “Tattered Shoes” (delivered on September 28, 2021) We are completing Sukkot, one of our shalosh regalim, our pilgrimage holidays. Shalosh regalim literally means “three feet,” reminding us that since ancient days, three times a year, on Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot, pilgrims would make a journey to the holy city. The […]
Parashat Re’eh: Giving and Relatedness Delivered by Student Rabbi Maayan Lev on August, 6, 2021 Shabbat shalom everyone. For those who don’t know me, my name is Maayan Lev, and I am Am HaYam’s rabbinic intern. I work with Rabbi Sacks. This is my first time in the building, and I am so happy to […]