- Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
VaYehi is a sad parasha. You can say that again! Vayehi is a sad parasha. First, we have Jacob dying (boo-hoo), and then we have Joseph dying (boo-hoo). It’s all one big funeral. However, this parasha does have several interesting aspects. One is this whole blessing thing. I mean, we read the whole story about Continue Reading »
I enjoyed studying my parasha, VaYeshev, and especially thinking about all the dreams in the story. I’d like to talk about the dreams and about the connections between them and the relationships between Yosef and his brothers and his abba, Yaqov. In his first dream, Yosef dreamed that he and his brothers were gathering sheaves Continue Reading »
Zachary Bell’s Devar Torah Thank you Rabbi. Shabbat Shalom. Thank you all for coming. I know that some of you have traveled far to be here today and I appreciate it very much. I would like to tell you about the Torah portion for today, VaYetsei (Gen. 28:10 – 31:54), and then focus my thoughts Continue Reading »
Shabbat Shalom! This week’s Torah portion is called Vayera. In the beginning of the portion, three angels come to Abraham right after he has circumcised himself. They tell Abraham that he and Sarah will have a child in a year. After the angels leave, God tells Abraham that he is about to destroy the city Continue Reading »
I am proud and happy to stand here today as the new president of BEKI. I want to congratulate all the Board members and thank them for the time and energy they have agreed to give, so that this synagogue can function. I also want to thank the families of our Board members, because they Continue Reading »
Good Shabbos. As I was looking through this week’s parasha, VaYiqra [Leviticus], I realized that if I were to talk strictly about what was in the parasha you would all be asleep. About the only things the parasha talks about are sacrifices. I wouldn’t want to listen to a devar Torah about a bunch of Continue Reading »
Shabbat shalom. Introduction As those of you know who were here on the early side this morning, I leined rishon, the first aliya to the Torah portion of this Shabbat, Va-Yetsei. This is a first for me at BEKI — the first time I have leined anything here but my original Bar Mitzva aliya in Continue Reading »
When I first started thinking about what I would present for my Devar Torah, I had in mind something very analytical and scholarly and what I associate with Jewish tradition: selecting a line or two from the parasha, examining it from every angle, explaining what all the great sages had to say on it, and Continue Reading »
Shabbat Shalom. Our Torah portion this week, Behar, contains the Torah’s central explication of the laws of the sh’mita, or sabbatical year, and the yovel, or Jubilee. I will focus on the latter, the Jubilee. As you will see, I hope to bring the yovel to a personal and community level, but first, let me Continue Reading »
When the second day of Shavuot falls on Shabbat, as it did this year, Parashot Huqat and Balaq are doubled up. What we’ve read in the book of BaMidbar so far has covered events that took place during the first two years of wandering in the desert. Parashat Huqat skips ahead 38 years to the Continue Reading »
