WUPJ Library

By: Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum, rabbi of String of Pearls – Jewish reconstructionist congregation of Princeton, NJ, and member of JWI’s Clergy Task Force on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community Recent Issues Who grows and changes most in the Joseph saga? The last four parshiot of Genesis – beginning with this week’s parsha, VaYeshev – […]

Recent Issues By: Rabbi Alona Lisitsa , HUC-JIR Jerusalem, Rabbinic Internship and Mentoring – Israeli Rabbinic program; Liturgy and Rabbinic Texts – YII program The weekly portion, Veyeshev, starts with the story of Joseph’s youth and ends with him being imprisoned in Egypt. The major part of the weekly portion tells us about Joseph and his relationships […]

Chanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev because that was the day of the re-dedication of the Temple according to the Book of Maccabees. The coincidence of the Maccabee victory being recorded as having taken place on the Shabbat on which we hear hearing about Joseph is just that, a coincidence.

Recent Issues By: Rabbi Mark L. Winer, President of the Florida Democratic Party Caucus of American Jews and President of FAITH: the Foundation to Advance Interfaith Trust and Harmony . “A Time for Healing” The American presidential campaign has been painful. A mutual demonization of the opposing candidate has left many Americans feeling angry, distrustful, […]

Recent Issues By: Benjie Gruber, Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism , Arava Region and Eilat Mistakes from our Ancestors from Generation to Generation In the Torah Portion we read this week, Vayishlach [ and he sent, Jacob sending messengers to his brother ] there is a small incident from which I believe we can learn […]

By: Rabbi Megan Doherty, Senior Jewish Fellow and Associate Rabbi, Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale , Connecticut, USA Jacob the Liar “He’s a heel,” my grandfather Fed used to say, describing someone who was untrustworthy in business or in friendship. Perhaps as a result of my grandfather’s teaching, I work very hard […]

Recent Issues By: Rabbi Steve Burnstein , director of the WUPJ Anita Saltz International Education Center I love my children. They really are quite amazing. We’re looking forward to parent-teacher conferences this week. Multiple times teachers have told us they wish they could clone our kids; that they are absolutely charming and well-mannered youngsters. We […]

By: Rabbi Danny Burkeman, The Community Synagogue , Port Washington, NY The Pride of our Name In 1947 the United Nations adopted the Partition Plan for Palestine which proposed the creation of two states – one Jewish and one Arab – in the following year. This vote approved the creation of a Jewish State, but […]

By: Rabbi Dr. John Levi, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth Israel , Melbourne, Australia “Angels” Have you met any aggressive angels recently? Our patriarch Jacob did. The encounter changed his life and his name and, forever afterwards, he would walk with a limp. Angels make frequent appearances in Jewish tradition. Well, we call them “angels”, […]

Recent Issues By: Rabbi Brad L. Bloom MSW DD, Congregation Beth Yam , Hilton Head, South Carolina Jacob spends a night in the desert after fleeing his brother Esau. He has left Be’er Sheva and was headed to the old country of Haran to seek out the family from his ethnic roots. He camps out […]

Recent Issues Rabbi Rene Pfertzel, The Liberal Jewish Synagogue , London, UK / Keren Or , Lyon, France Vayetze : and (Jacob) came out. This is a very interesting way of starting a new parasha, but, of course, it is not a story about a coming out as we could understand this expression today. But […]

By: Rabbi Gary M. Bretton-Granatoor, Vice President, Philanthropy, World Union for Progressive Judaism Learning from Jacob, the Weekend Warrior of Faith There is a popular expression: “In every life a little rain must fall.” That is not only true, but very much reflected in the philosophy and the teachings of Judaism. Judaism is an imminently […]