Announcements

This Shabbat is the first Shabbat of the New Year! It’s somewhat ironic then that we read in the Torah of Moshe’s final day on Earth. How did Moshe spend his last day? Did he sleep in? Did he check his bucket list and go off on an adventure? “Vayelekh Moshe - And Moshe went” to each Shevet (tribe), to each family, to every person throughout the encampment of Israel to say farewell, to bless them, to encourage them to support...Read more...

Parshat Korach is both a match and a mismatch for the 4th of July weekend. Korach’s declaration of independence and failed rebellion outlines a contrasting narrative to the successful rebellion and independence of the American colonies. This coming Monday, the 4th of July, we will celebrate the 246th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was only on September 17, 1787 that 39 of the 55 delegates of the Constitutional...Read more...

Parshat Emor highlights the Jewish holidays: 

דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם מוֹעֲדֵ֣י ה' אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֵ֥לֶּה הֵ֖ם מוֹעֲדָֽי׃

...The festivals of Hashem, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations...

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This past Wednesday night, at Shaarei we hosted our annual joint-communal Yom HaShoah observance. To hear our friend Linda Jaffe’s bearing witness on behalf of her late father, Holocaust survivor George Shainfarber z”l, click here. This coming week, we observe Yom HaZikaron and celebrate Yom Haatzmaut with our larger community at the Young Israel of Brookline. May we as a People alway go from distress to relief, darkness to...Read more...

Click here for our Pesach guide! Includes important times, a detailed schedule and guide, and more.

Last week, on Shabbat morning, I spoke about the Aish Tamid - the fire that came from Heaven but had to be perpetually maintained on the mizbeach in the Mishkan. The Aish Tamid comes to symbolize dedication, consistency and endurance in our avodat ha-kodesh - our sacred service, whether it be Torah learning, daily davening, or acts of chesed and social justice. This week’s parashah introduces the idea of Aish Zara - a foreign...Read more...

In 1987, a seventeen year old high school student named Victor Shine penned a poignant folk song called “Minyan Man.” It describes a small town Orthodox minyan whose 10th man had recently passed away. Then, unexpectedly, a Jewish visitor rolls into town, becoming the “minyan man,” bringing new life to the old shul. Shine sent his demo (click here) to his friend Lenny Solomon, founder of the band Shlock Rock. Lenny rearranged...Read more...

This morning, the Ruderman Family Foundation released a report on their recent panel study and survey, which found that 94% of American Jews feel that there is antisemitism in the United States, with over 50% of respondents personally having experienced antisemtism either directly or through family and friends over the past five years. Unfortunately, this should not come as a surprise to us. “Bekhol dor va-dor - in every...Read more...

This week’s parasha showcases Hashem’s supernatural powers in bringing the final three plagues on Egypt. And in the face of plague after plague after plague, Pharaoh appears quite resilient, which I can appreciate seeing our own society struggle with one prominent plague. Yet, unlike Pharaoh, we are not resilient by hardening our own hearts. To the contrary, Shaarei members are continuing to learn Torah, to build community, to attend Shul...Read more...

Imagine living during the ten plagues of our parashah. First, imagine you are a slave - a member of B’nei Yisrael. Next, imagine you are an Egyptian, one of the regular population without power or influence. Then, imagine you are a member of the Egyptian aristocracy. Let’s stipulate that you recognize the moral bankruptcy of your Pharaoh's kingdom, but you have everything to lose from radical social change. Now, take those...Read more...