Emor and the Challenges of Our Past Rabbi’s Note: The Torah portion this week represents my Bar Mitzvah portion. What follows is a revised version of my remarks this past Monday; during the Sisterhood program featuring renown author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin. When I was old enough and more engaged about the state of

Were I to rank the Torah readings in terms of interest and ‘first glance relevancy’; this week’s double portion of Tazria and Metzora would rank near the bottom. Reading about a skin disease in all its grotesque and graphic details, would not be my initial idea of inspiring scripture. Follow up with an equally grotesque...

From the time I was a teenager, I led my family’s Seder. My relatives were no different from most: Let’s move on so we can eat. Were I a super idealist, I would argue that my relatives were not disinterested; they were just ashamed to admit how little they understood about the Haggadah. I would