Shabbat Naso: Samson and Toxic Masculinity (A d’var Torah delivered by Rabbi Sacks on June 2, 2023)  This week our haftarah especially compels us to think about men and masculinity. So before we think about the haftarah, let’s get some Jewish views on men. Think about what each quote might be saying–and not saying–about men […]

Parashat Lech L’cha: Lot’s Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’ (delivered by Rabbi J.B. Sacks on November 4, 2022) I remember the thrill of seeing Porgy and Bess for the first time. It was a 1935 English-language tragic opera by George Gershwin.[1] It features a cast of classically trained African-American singers, a daring artistic choice at the […]

Kol Nidre: Do I Really Sound Like That? (Delivered by Student Rabbi Maayan Lev on Tuesday, October 4, 2022) On the first day of Rosh HaShanah I spoke about the importance of listening to other people’s voices, and other people’s needs. It was a nod to Sh’ma Koleinu, which most congregations recite on Yom Kippur. […]

Parashat Balak: Know that We Don’t Know (delivered by Rabbi J.B. Sacks on July 15, 2022)  A friend of mine in Manhattan told me about an encounter she recently had on the bus. She has a chronic, but “silent,” illness. It is often debilitating, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at her. She was […]

Parashat Korach: Moses and Korach, Without and Within (Delivered by Rabbi J.B. Sacks on Friday, July 1, 2022)   In this week’s reading, we witness three dramatic power struggles that have national repercussions! Korach, a fellow Levite, leads a struggle against Moses’ religious authority. Datan and Aviram, descendents of Jacob’s first-born Reuben, push back against […]