Congregation Beth Mordecai
Congregation Beth Mordecai
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
May 13, 2016 By bethmordecai no comments.
*Note: this message is a little longer than usual
Dear Hevreh,
At the onset of the this week's triennial Torah reading of Parashat K'doshim (Leviticus 19:23-24), we read...
כג וְכִי-תָבֹאוּ אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, וּנְטַעְתֶּם כָּל-עֵץ מַאֲכָל--וַעֲרַלְתֶּם עָרְלָתוֹ, אֶת-פִּרְיוֹ; שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עֲרֵלִים--לֹא יֵאָכֵל.
23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as forbidden; three years shall it be as forbidden unto you; it shall not be eaten.
כד וּבַשָּׁנָה, הָרְבִיעִת, יִהְיֶה, כָּל-פִּרְיוֹ--קֹדֶשׁ הִלּוּלִים, לַיהוָה.
24 And in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise unto the LORD.
It seem a little odd that the Israelites would not be able to eat food they just planted in the[...]
Category : home Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Scholar in Residence Weekend Torah Teachings Tag : Doing Jewish k'li yakar k'li yaqar keli yakar keli yaqar mitzvah planted planting possibilities rabbi rabbi's journal Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz Skills torah teachings
September 4, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat Ki Tavo 5775/2015 (Triennial II) -- The Power of Blessing
Blessings are all around us; some are hidden and some are plain to see. It is part of the human condition to search out blessings because we know they have power. But what is that power? What makes us yearn to say "I bless you" and to experience the feeling of being blessed?
Join us to discuss the power of blessing through the lens of four discrete blessings in this week's Torah portion (Deuteronomy 28:3-6).
Photo taken from -- Photo taken by C. Jill Reed on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulmatsherm/
Category : home Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : k'li yakar k'li yaqar keli yakar keli yaqar Ki Tavo online learning online parashah class parasha parashah parsha
May 16, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat B'hukkotai 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Is The Earth At Fault
We normally think of the earth and all it contains as being some of the most beautiful creations of God. Throughout the Torah, the earth is laid to waste when humans commit sins, a trope that has become very popular today in environmentalist circles. But is it possible that according to our Torah portion today, Parashat B'hukkotai, the blame for human transgression should not be laid solely at the feet of humanity? Should the earth bear some responsibility for the transgressions that lay it bare? Check out today's class for this fascinating conversation!
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : abundance earth environmentalism human impact human nature k'li yakar keli yakar keli yaqar online learning online parashah class parasha parsha parshah torah weekly torah portion בחוקותי
March 7, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- The Secrets of the Torah
There is something strange in the first word of this week’s Torah portion Vayikra, which also is the Hebrew namesake of the fourth book of the Torah called Leviticus. The final letter, the aleph, is smaller than the other letters. Why is that? Is it a typo, a scribal error? Or is there something more to this aleph ze-ira (small aleph) than simply its small stature, something that hints at the secrets embedded within each word and each letter of the Torah. We’ll figure it out together during this week’s class.
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : alef aleph balaam humble humility k'dushat levi k'li yakar k'li yaqar kedushat levi keli yakar keli yaqar leviticus moses secrets small vayikra