Rabbi Heller's Blog

This week, we begin the journey through Purim and Passover with Shabbat Shekalim. We read an additional portion from Exodus that describes how each Israelite must give a half shekel in order to be counted. Every adult male was mandated to participate, and in return was considered to have a share in the construction of the Tabernacle. This reading is particularly important this year, as Jews around the world prepare to participate in the...Read more...

It is overwhelming to consider how many issues of policy, law and culture and governance currently divide American society. The issue of abortion seems to sink into the background. In fact it is still among the most divisive issues, and the stakes are high. One camp describes itself as pro-life. They assert that even before birth, a fetus in its mother’s womb is a full life, and ending that life is nothing short of murder. Another...Read more...

One of the hardest things about hospitality-- particularly with Jews-- is getting an accurate guest list. We experience it at the synagogue. When we host a dinner or event, we usually have to commit to a food order for a dinner or event by a certain date. Then, right before the event, (several days after our order...Read more...

The Jewish calendar is adjusted, with leap years and extra days, so that it is almost impossible for a fast day to fall on Friday and extended into Shabbat. Yom Kippur is the only fast that can fall directly on Shabbat,  but it cannot fall on a Friday or Sunday. Almost all other fast days are pushed off if they fall on Shabbat, and cannot fall on Friday either! Tzom Gedaliah, which falls on the same day of the week, a week...Read more...

Over 2,000 years ago, the Syrian Greeks desecrated the holy Temple and attempted to wipe out Jewish practice and observance. The Maccabees soon rose up to fight their oppressors, and after years of fighting they rededicated the Temple on the 25th of Kislev. Every Jewish child is familiar with the story that Judah and his brothers lit the menorah even though there was not enough holy oil, but miraculously a small amount lasted for eight...Read more...

This weekend we mark the confluence of Parashat Toldot and Thanksgiving. There is actually a thread of connection between the Torah portion and the festival on the secular calendar.  For many of us, Thanksgiving is about gathering with family or friends for a festive meal. In the portion this week, we see two times where shared food is entangled with complex family dynamics. First, Esau...Read more...

The pall that has hung over our people for the last 11 months grew far darker this week, with the news that Hamas executed six more Israeli hostages. Because each human being is of infinite value, we cannot wrap our heads around its enormity.  The murder of just one individual, a face and name that we know, brings the loss into focus. Earlier this week, we marked this loss as it was reflected in the landscape of our own...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom Re'eh

Earlier this week, I read a report which is unsettling, but not remarkable. There are few reliable sources of information as to what is going on in Palestinian areas. One that I sometimes consider is the Palestinian Survey Research Institute (PSR), which attempts to be neutral. This week the IDF raided a Hamas facility and uncovered evidence that...Read more...

This week’s portion includes two very different models of advocacy. Pinhas, the grandson of Aaron, sees people violating the Torah in an egregious way, and takes the law into his own hands with murderous violence. God ultimately approves of his actions, offering him a blessing of peace and a permanent legacy of the priesthood. The sages are less positive- they note that if he had asked for permission, it would have been denied,...Read more...

If you are a frequent airline traveler, you know that at many times during a commercial airline flight you will hear one or more “dings.” Certain sequences may indicate that the cabin door has been closed or is ready to open, that the seatbelt sign has been turned on or off, that the plane is at a particular stage of its  takeoff or approach, that one member of the crew is paging another, or that someone in seat 25f keeps on...Read more...

Parashat Behukotai stands out as one of two Torah portions that contain significant passages of blessings and curses. The blessings of Levticus 26, offered as a promise provided the Israelites follow the right path, are beautiful and inspiring, but follow an odd structure. The blessings begin and end with agricultural success, plenty so great that there will be too much to store , let alone eat.  The middle blessings focus on war and...Read more...

Even as we observe Mother’s Day this Sunday, Judaism asks us to celebrate our parents every single day. The Ten Commandments, found in Exodus and Deuteronomy, demand “honor your father and your mother.” Then, in the portion that we read this week, Kedoshim, a key verse (Leviticus 19:3) also reflects our...Read more...

The Shabbat before Passover is always called “Shabbat Hagadol,” literally “the Great Sabbath.” However, as any grammatical pedant will tell you, this does not make sense, because in the gendered Hebrew language, Shabbat is feminine, and Hagadol is masculine. Scholars throughout the generations have posited different reasons that the Shabbat might be great, some of which resolve the grammatical discrepancy. There are many...Read more...

There really is no rest after Purim. Just as soon as we have loaded up on gifts of junk food and consumed wine without measure, we put away the Megillah, and change gears to start clearing the pantry and preparing to drink precisely four cups of wine at seder. Of course, Kroger has had the matzah out since shortly after Hanukkah! This Shabbat, Parashat Parah, is one of three out of the next four weeks where there is a special Torah...Read more...

The process of finding community leadership has never been easy. Who has the charisma? The time and temperament? Where would one even learn the technical skills needed to focus the energies of a diverse and sometimes querulous community? This week, we explore those challenges both in the portions that we read from Exodus and in real life. Parashat Vayakhel reflects the consummation of the previous 10 chapters of the Torah....Read more...

As I write, I am still digesting the intensity of the my week in Israel. I would have imagined using every opportunity this weekend to share my experiences. Indeed, this Shabbat morning, I will be reflecting on my journey. Then, on Sunday February 18th at 3:30PM at Or Hadash, I will be part of a forum where rabbis who participated in the trip will engage in dialogue with members of the entire community.  We are also working to...Read more...

As any 6th grade teacher will tell you, it can be very frustrating to try to communicate when people are just not listening. You may be having a parallel but even more stressful experience, talking about the situation in Israel/Gaza or our experiences of antisemitism, with people who are either uninformed and uninterested or even actively antagonistic. In our portion this week, Moses finds that not...Read more...

This week we read one of the most violent stories in the Bible, one often skipped in Hebrew School. Jacob’s daughter, Dina goes into the town of Shechem, where the local prince rapes her. One voice is missing from the story. The Torah does not share anything of Dina’s perspective or experience. Though modern writers, like Anita Diamant, apply their creativity to fill in the gaps, she is an object, not a subject in the story....Read more...

Sorry for the broken link- Shabbat Shalom for Thanksgiving weekend is at https://www.bnaitorah.org/rabbi-heller-blog?post_id=1478887

Eleh Toldot Yitzchak Ben Avraham- Avraham Holid et Yitzchak. “These are the generations of Isaac. Abraham begat Isaac.” The words that begin our portion this week resonate for me in a deep way at this moment. The portion tells us that Isaac’s journey to parenthood can only be...Read more...

The Shabbat of October 27-28, Conservative synagogues around the world are observing Solidarity Shabbat in support of our brethren in Israel.  Please wear blue and white to services, and see https://www.masortisolidarityshabbat.org/  for more resources.

I’ve gotten requests for my sermon from last shabbat.  You can find it (and other sermons) at https://www.bnaitorah.org/sermons      ...Read more...

Dear Friends,

We are still reeling from the news of Shabbat morning, that Hamas terrorists swept across the Gaza border, killing hundreds of Israelis, wounding and maiming thousands, and taking an as-yet unknown number captive, to be subjected to brutality that we cannot conceive. There is much that is still unsure, but we know that we stand with Israel.

On Saturday morning, as we prepared for the Shemini Atzeret...Read more...