WUPJ Library

By Rabbi Dr. Charles Middleburgh, Leo Baeck College, London If you think really hard, I wonder how many animals you can think of that occur in the Bible and fulfill a role? First there was the snake in the Garden of Eden, then there were the pairs of every species that went into the Ark with Noah – […]

by Rabbi John Levi, Melbourne. Australia Someone with a very acute sense of humour obviously wrote this week’s Torah portion. First of all, don’t blame Moses (or Ezra) for the story of Balak and Balaam and the recalcitrant and talkative she-ass and the angel. It might be helpful to mention that most biblical scholars believe […]

By Rabbi Richard G Lampert Rabbi Emeritus, North Shore Temple Emanuel Chatswood, Sydney, Australia “Mah Tovu Ohalekha Ya’akov, mish’k’notekha, Yisrael” “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel” These words are surely familiar to all who attend shul services. Every morning service throughout the year commences with these words, spoken by […]

by Rabbi Raphael W. Asher, Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Tikvah , Walnut Creek, CA Every time I read the blessings of Bilaam I want to punctuate each with a “ Yasher koach ,”kudos,  for this Moabite prophet who three times shouted Israel ’s praises from the highest peaks. “ A star rises from Jacob !” (Nu. 24:17) […]

by Rabbi Rich Kirschen, Anita Saltz Education Center , World Union for Progressive Judaism Today was one of those hot, dusty and very uncomfortable days in Jerusalem, and the news from inside the city as well as from around the world only increased the feeling that “the heat is on” in this complex capital of […]

Recent Issues By: Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, Alyth Synagogue (North Western Reform), London, United Kingdom Over the past few weeks in Britain we have been celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s ninetieth Birthday. I say over the past few weeks because the Queen gets two birthdays every year, one her chronological birthday on 21st April and the other, called […]

Recent Issues REMEMBER HESHBON! A SHORT PLAY IN THREE SCENES // Parashat Chukat ( Numbers 19:1-22:1) By: Rabbi Eric Polokoff, B’nai Israel of Southbury , Connecticut, USA SETTING: Israel, about 30 centuries ago. CHARACTERS: Crowd Jephthah Jephthah’s Daughter Jephthah’s Wife Members of the Board of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) SCENE I (The […]

By Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black, Leo Baeck Centre , East Kew, Melbourne, Australia In Parshat Chukat we jump forward from the rules of the Red Heifer (Numbers 19) to the end of the forty years of wandering in the desert, 38 years later. Now the Israelites arrive at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Tzin (Numbers 20:1) […]

by Rabbi Goldie Milgram , Founder and Director of Reclaiming Judaism , and co-editor of Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning This week’s portion appears to contain instructions for witchcraft. One finds a red heifer, known as the para adumah (though none seem to exist), burns it, throwing into the burning some cedar wood, […]

By Rabbi Benjie Gruber , Kibbutz Yahel , Arava Region – Israel Parashat Chukat is the the Parsha of the 40th year. The events described in it occurred during the last year in the desert for the people of Israel. In fact, at the end of the parsha we read of the end of the […]

by Rabbi Stephen Fuchs, incoming president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism The story of Moses striking the rock in Parashat Hukkat has great meaning for me as I begin to serve as President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. The story takes place near the end of the Children of Israel’s 40-year-long […]

by Rabbi Celia Surget, Mouvement Juif Liberal de France (Paris) The Israelites have returned to what appears to be one of their favorite activities and resume the complaints about the lack of food, lack of water, and a general repulsion of the provisions. After being punished by God who did not prevent the poisonous desert […]