WUPJ Library

by Rabbi Rich Kirschen, Director of Israel Programs, Union for Reform Judaism So what do we have here in this week’s Torah Portion of Tetzaveh? Unfortunately we have a very long and not very interesting description of the High Priest and the clothes he is about to wear before ordination. We have instructions for building the […]

My brother-in-law has many talents. In addition to playing the banjo, he’s a builder and carpenter; attorney specializing in environmental issues; and all around good guy. But his passion is olive farming. This year, with the help of volunteers from around the world as well as extended friends and family from our home at Kibbutz Gezer, he harvested two tons of olives. In many ways he embodies A.D. Gordon’s “Religion of Labor” and the philosophy of Labor Zionism.

by Rabbi Danny Burkeman, The Community Synagogue , Port Washington, NY When I was 22 years old I applied for a job as a movement worker at RSY-Netzer. This was a one-year position for graduates of the youth movement who were just completing university. It was a job for which there was no uniform, and […]

Parshat T’zaveh continues the account of God’s instructions to Moses concerning the building of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. It concentrates on the inauguration of Aaron and his sons as the first priests of the Israelite people, an event of political as well as religious significance. From now on, priesthood and prophecy will be clearly […]

by Rabbi Tirzah Ben-David, Rabbi of Shir Hatzafon Progressive Congregation , Copenhagen, Denmark Our Parasha deals with the legendary institution of the Priesthood in ancient Israelite society, and focuses on the importance of appearances. What the high priest wears – the linen vestments, the breastplate, the twelve stones representing the twelve tribes – is an intrinsic […]

Recent Issues By: Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld, Congregation Albert , Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA When my wife and I were engaged, we forged an agreement that, 29 years later, is still in force. When buying furniture, painting the house, remodeling, putting artwork on the walls, and all other home tasks that require being able to picture […]

What is sometimes worse than losing a revolution??? Winning. The day after the revolution is over we often see revolutionaries demonstrating behavior of great let-down or even depression. The fight is over, the cause has been achieved, and now the really hard work begins. Building. Laying groundwork, creating infrastructure and setting up systems requires an […]

by Rabbi J. Gendra-Molina , Ph.D., M.H.L One might think that the long description of the measurements and the details of the construction of the sanctuary do not deserve much of our attention. If so, it would be better to meditate at length on one of the opening verses that frame our reading for this […]

Rabbi James Greene, Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center of Silicon Valley in Los Gatos, CA In this week’s portion, Terumah, God instructs the Israelite community on how to build the tabernacle, the sanctuary used in the wilderness.  Like all good faith communities, if you want to build the building you have to raise the dough.  So […]

by Rabbi Miri Gold , Kehilat Birkat Shalom , a regional congregation located at Kibbutz Gezer, Israel We are mourning one of the great rabbis and scholars of our time, Rabbi Gunther Plaut z”l , who conceived and edited The Torah: A Modern Commentary . This volume graces the pews of many of our WUPJ […]

By Rabbi Fred Morgan, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth Israel , Melbourne, Australia The portion Terumah begins a narrative about the construction of the mishkan , the sanctuary that accompanies the Jewish people in their wanderings through the wilderness, that takes up five weekly readings from the Torah.  It is the longest continuous narrative in the […]

The instruction Ray receives is strangely reminiscent of the one in this week’s Torah portion when God tells Moses: וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָֽׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָֽם ( veasu li mikdash veshochanti betocham ) – Make for me a Mikdash (a Tabernacle) and I will dwell amongst you (Exodus 25:8). The instructions are relatively clear, especially as the […]