Parashat Shemini Parashat Shemini opens with Moses telling Aaron and his sons about the guidelines for bringing offerings to the sanctuary as atonement for any sins that they or the people may have committed. Aaron follows Moses…
On the second night of Pessah, we started counting the omer. The omer is a measure of the barley crop that was brought to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem beginning on Pessah. Barley is an early crop, and our ancestors would bring…
Activities for Grandparents and Grandchildren during the Quarantine by Ruth Nemzoff, an author and and a scholar at the Brandeis Woman’s Studies Research Center. Isolation does not mean being isolated from one another. We are all finding…
CEH Social Action Committee members hope that everyone is healthy and taking the necessary precautions to ensure continued health. It’s a good time to stay inside and prepare for Passover! If you’ve hit the supermarket this past week,…
Today’s Bissel Torah was written by Dr. Andrew Lovinger. This past Shabbat we read the special parashah for the Intermediate Shabbat of Pesach, which has a memorable theme that resonates with our times. It deals with the age-old human…
Tonight and tomorrow night, as well as in every daytime Pessah service we sing the Hallel, which includes Psalm 114. The Hebrew text begins with B’tzeht Israel. Let me share a few thoughts about this psalm with you. Psalm 114 1…
Healing Service – Biyur HametzCongregation Etz Hayim – April 7, 2020 1.Psalm 57, verse 9Awake, O my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will bring the dawn’s light.‘Urah kevodi, ‘urah hanevel v’kynor. A’yrah shahar.:ט עוּרָה כְבוֹדִי…
My garden is starting to bloom. It is officially Spring. Time for Pessah. This year we will all celebrate Pessah in a very different way. The gatherings will be done through technology. I am being very selective about what I…
Parashat Tzav – Miracles Parashat Tzav (Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36) continues the description of the sacrifices that we read about in last week’s parasha(Vayikrah). In this portion (Tzav) we find details about the performance of the olah (burnt offering), minhah (meal/gift offering), hattat (purification…
Today we found out that last Saturday at 1:30 am, Tikvat Israel, a synagogue in Rockville, MD, was vandalized. A man got out of his car, spray painted swastikas and hateful slogans on the synagogue outer walls,…