A dvar torah honoring Alicia Bach and Joel Portman on the occasion of their upcoming wedding (website version).

Consider the following six items:

Shaatnez (also known as linsey-woolsey: a material comprised of linen and wool)A lobsterA dead bodyנֶגַע צָרָעַת  (Nega Tzara’at) — spoken of in this week’s Torah reading: a disease that bears some similarity to leprosy.ChildbirthA […]

This week’s Parashah Shemini includes numbers. I did not use ChatGPT for today’s D’var Torah, tempting as it may have been. I did find an intriguing, to me, D’var Torah from 4 years ago. It was written and delivered by Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. He serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations to […]

The teachers of the Kehillat Chaverim: Rabbi Michele Sullum, recipient of the Kehillat Chaverim 10th Anniversary Award Golda Meier Award for Excellence in Teaching and Fred Nathan and Larry Tobin, recipients of the Kehillat Chaverim 10th Anniversary Maimonides Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Let’s begin our D’var Torah today since we all want to end on […]

Vayikra 5783 – Is it Real?

Over the past several months, the use of the artificial intelligence engine, ChatGPT, has received lots of media attention. I am fascinated with the capabilities and the dangers of this technology.  Would it be possible for these artificial intelligence engines to one day replace what we rely on human intelligence […]

After I signed up to give the D’var today, I looked at the narrative in Vayakhel. “Construction of the Tabernacle.” Gather the goats’ hair, the dolphin skins (dolphin skins in the desert? Whatever.), etc. “They made 50 loops on the edge of the outermost cloth . . .” Ideas for a D’var? Not yet. Then […]

Ki Tisa- Cracks of Light                                          Michael Carr               03/11/2023

It’s been said that we don’t see things as ‘they are’; we see things as ‘we are’ because we see reality through our emotional history.

Each of us experiences emotional sensory situations differently when we read, listen, or taste. These sensations may evoke pleasure, pain, distaste- well you […]

Today’s Parsha is Tetzaveh. Tetzaveh means commanded. I could talk to you about how G-d commanded Moses to have the B’nai Yisroel bring pure olive oil to keep the everlasting flame of the Menorah burning in the Mishkan. I could talk to you about the clothing that the Kohanim wore. Almost half of the Parsha […]

The first 2 verses of Parashat Terumah read: G-d spoke to Moses, saying:  Tell the Israelite people to bring me gifts; you shall accept gifts for me from every person whose heart is so moved.

By asking for donations, Tzidaka, G-d invites everyone in the community–rich and poor, old and young, wise and innocent–to participate in […]

Just 7 weeks prior to the start of today’s Parsha, the Jewish people were still slaves in Egypt.  But now, As G-d is about to give B’nai Yisroel the Torah and make them his “chosen people,” Moshe’s father-in-law shows up at their encampment.  This is Yitro, the priest of Midian.  He brings with him his […]

This week’s Parsha includes the final three plagues that G-D created for the benefit of the Israelites and imposed upon Pharaoh to let the Israelite Slaves go. As we know Pharaoh was opposed to any meaningful changes in the kingdom.

In fact we read year after year in the Torah and during Pesach about the terrible […]