Driven to be a Rabbi
My name is Rachel Rothstein and I am a 2nd-year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio but chose to study at the Los Angeles HUC-JIR campus because I thought it was important to get
WRJ Voices: Naso
This week’s Torah portion, Naso, focuses on four central themes. In the first section, God tells Moses to take a census of the Levites, issuing those of a specific age range (30 to 50 years of age) detailed instructions regarding the Tabernacle. The second
Don't Mind the Gap
Rushing around the plenary room at the 2015 URJ Biennial in Orlando, FL, my friend and I were lost high school participants desperate for any seats we could get our hands on before the lights faded all the way out. Finally, we spotted two empty seats in the
WRJ Voices: B'midbar
B’midbar, or "in the wilderness," is the name of both this week's Torah portion, the opening chapters of the Book of Numbers, and the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible. The Torah portion centers around two census counts ordered by God. The first count is the
The Things We Carry
The outstanding success of last month’s inaugural Women of Reform Social Justice Conference (SJC) can be measured in myriad ways: the intriguing workshops, elegant Shabbat services, networking with friends, YES fundraising, and engaging plenaries
WRJ Voices: B'Chukotai
B’Chukotai. One of the Torah portions that people avoid like the plague- (literally -like the chapters about the plagues). Here is a vision of G-d that we don’t want to embrace. The passages are full of blessings and curses. Do as I say and all will be well
WRJ Voices: B'har
This week's Torah portion, Parashat Behar (“at the mountain”), speaks to the centrality of Eretz Yisrael in Jewish thought and deed. Although the Jewish people have lived in many other lands throughout much of our history and continue to do so today, we always
WRJ Voices: Emor
“Love people. Cook them tasty food.” - These are the words, on a bumper sticker, that hangs above my cookbooks. As I think about this week’s Torah portion, Emor, I consider why this saying resonates so much with me. I think about my Bubby who taught me how to
WRJ Voices: K'doshim
This week’s Torah portion, K’doshim, meaning “holy ones,” opens with Adonai speaking to Moses saying, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy.’” I see this parashah as a blueprint for how we
WRJ Voices: Achrei Mot
Looking for someone to blame? Well, some would say you’ve come to the right Torah portion because this week, in Acharei Mot, we meet the scapegoat. But those people would have it wrong.
We think of the scapegoat as the person or group who gets blamed for