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  1. Nancy F-K Tazria Metzora Dvar Torah

    Last week there appeared in my mailbox at RRC, a book that I had never heard of by someone who was also unknown to me. The book is called The Plausible God: Secular Reflections on Liberal Jewish Theology. The author, Mitchell Silver, is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, and a devout secular Jew. His book was occasioned by a growing realization that all of his good philosophical arguments against religion were really arguments against traditional theism, the “old God” as he calls Him. And I use the word “Him” advisedly here.

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/spoken-audio/why-do-we-pray-dvar-torah-tazriametzora

    Posted on: 2016/08/22 - 2:31am

  2. The Akeida: Questions of Sacrifice

    Each year, on the second day of Rosh Hashana we discuss the Akeida - the story for the binding and near sacrifice of Isaac. Each year we, collectively, struggle with the psychological impact and the personal ethics of the story. How could a father do such a thing? What did Isaac feel? What did Abraham feel? What did Sarah feel? What did God feel? What did the ram feel? We discuss these issues as if synagogue were a family therapy workshop. We take up the story as if it were a vignette in a modern novel, and that its point is to give us insight into the human psyche.

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/akeida-questions-sacrifice

    Posted on: 2017/02/10 - 3:43pm

  3. "Hearing" The "Voice" of God - DT Yitro

    What does it mean to “hear” the commanding “voice” of God? A key word in this week's portion suggests that it is not necessarily all that clear. Moreover, one particularly trenchant verse in the haftarah reinforces the problem with understanding revelation (which I am equating with the notion of hearing the commanding voice of God).

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/hearing-voice-god

    Posted on: 2017/02/10 - 3:29pm

  4. The Well of Tradition and Miriam's Well - DT Hukat

    One of our people's greatest strengths is using our tradition as a wellspring to renew our heritage as we pass it down from generation to generation. As Jews we have a living relationship with our past. Jewish history, Jewish traditions, and Jewish memories are not placed in museums and libraries for scholars to research. They are part of our people's daily lives. When we study our sacred texts, retell our stories, celebrate our successes and mourn our losses, we seek to make deep personal connections to our people's heritage.

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/well-tradition-and-miriams-well

    Posted on: 2017/01/31 - 3:50pm

  5. Living the Good Life - DT Ekev

    Ah! Living the good life! The words conjure up villas on the Mediterranean, fancy cars, gourmet meals, fashionable clothes, consorting with the well-to-do.

    On the other hand, living the good life is the fundamental question that religions try to answer. There are myriad answers, and over the millennia Judaism has managed to give many of them.

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/living-good-life

    Posted on: 2017/01/31 - 3:27pm

  6. Do You Want To Be A Millionaire DT Terumah

    For most people the answer appears obvious. “Of course,” they would answer, “who wouldn't?” Prosperity is a wonderful blessing. We all want to live well. We pray that our children will never lack the things they need and will be able to enjoy at least some of what they want. At the beginning of each Jewish year, we wish each other health and happiness, blessing and wealth, but we also know that wealth is not enough for a good life. 

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/do-you-want-be-millionaire

    Posted on: 2017/01/31 - 2:46pm

  7. Why Moses Did Not Become A Priest - DT Tetzaveh

    This week's parashah, Tetzaveh, begins with God commanding Moses “And as for you, you shall instruct the Israelites to bring you pure olive oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling the Eternal Lamp (Exodus 27:20).” At first glance it does not appear that there is anything unusual or extraordinary about this verse. It is simply God giving Moses another instruction concerning the Mishkan (Tabernacle), just as God instructed him last week on how he was to build it.

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/why-moses-did-not-become-priest

    Posted on: 2017/01/31 - 2:37pm

  8. Moses Died With A Promised Land: DT Simchat Torah

    Why was Moses barred from entering the promised land? It upsets our sense of fairness. There must be a reason for this disentitlement, for how else to explain why the great leader, the one who brought his people from Mitzraim to the ecstasy of Sinai and maintained their sense of purpose through the desert to the very border of the Land could only gaze at it and never enter. Is this the reward for one who had sacrificed power and privilege for the complaints and burdens of a stiff-necked people, who endured forty years with them?

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/moses-died-promised-land

    Posted on: 2017/01/30 - 7:36pm

  9. Prophets and Sages - Vayigash DT Eron

    The difference between a prophet and a sage is where each discovers God working in our lives. The prophet studies the future and points out the opportunities for righteousness and goodness that we may encounter in our life's journey. The sage looks into the past and shows us how we made way for God's healing presence and loving power in the choices we made and the paths we followed. The prophet fortifies us with the gift of hope. The sage strengthens us with the gift of meaning.

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/prophets-and-sages

    Posted on: 2017/01/30 - 7:25pm

  10. Shemot DT Lewis Eron

    One of the sad ironies of leadership is that leaders frequently come to believe the lies they tell and then make “reasoned” decisions based on those lies, often with disastrous results. As rulers of all sorts trick us by manipulating with such powerful emotions, such as our fear of strangers and our worry for our security, they, too, are tricked. They come to believe their own tales, get entangled in their lies. Terrible things happen, suffering increases, and policies built on lies lead, all too often, to disgrace, dishonor and defeat. 

    https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dvar-torah/trapped-our-own-lies

    Posted on: 2017/01/11 - 5:15pm

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