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This double parashah is difficult because of the violence, the injustices that women endured, and God being cast as a vengeful god. Yet, in our time, we also face the issues of violence, injustice, and sometimes a war carried out in God’s name. Still, we can learn lessons of compromise and responsibility to the larger community in this parashah and apply them to our current environment.

My relationship with WRJ began with a business card. It was June 2018, and the URJ Board of Trustees was convening in Austin, TX, for their annual Board meeting. As a recent graduate and former student leader at the University of Texas Hillel, I was asked to lead Shabbat morning services for the URJ Board before joining Board members for lunch and a discussion on how to best engage college students in the Reform Movement.

As we read this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Pinchas, we are reminded that women have always needed to assert themselves to be treated equally. The five daughters in this parashah decided to stand up for their beliefs, challenge tradition, and suggest the creation of a more impartial law. It is extremely important to note that only a few women are named in the Torah, and each of these five sisters had a name. They are Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. We should also mention that in the Bible, these five daughters appear on three different occasions (Numbers 27 and 36 and Joshua 17). Each time they are together, it denotes not only their importance but likewise the importance of ‘sisterhood.’

As I write this d'var Torah so soon after the shooting in Highland Park, IL., I am struck by the hate or the fear that brings this behavior. The fear of the unknown, of an individual or community that isn't like us. I am disturbed by the unwillingness to accept the stranger, yet we are a nation founded on strangers. I am scared that people have such difficulty acknowledging the differences among us and seeing them as strengths. I worry about the lack of help and compassion for those who emotionally can't find their ground. I am also in awe of God's might and ability to remind our Jewish community of his teachings.

In Parashat Chukat, we read how the community begins to heal after the death of Miriam and Aaron. Our community will need to figure out ways to heal as well, after the pain and challenges of the past few years. My community is working through grief from this week’s July 4th mass shooting, at which we lost one of our synagogue members. The support from our sisters throughout the world has been heart-warming and provides hope—although we know that much must change. Miriam’s leadership helps us to understand how important and difficult change is. Just as she showed the Israelites the way, through her singing and dancing, so will we all move forward in the best ways we can.

As I read and reread this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Korach, which highlights the famous rebellion against Moses and Aaron by Korach, Dathan, and Abiram, my thoughts instantly turned to our world today. We humans refuse to learn from the past. We keep ‘tripping over our own feet’ repeatedly. These days, I imagine you might be asking yourself the same questions that are forever bumping around my head…why, why, why? I leap from one news report to another throughout the day. How is our world such a mess? Do you listen to podcasts and read blogs and editorials? We wonder if today’s Korachs and Dathans and Abirams are running wild around the globe, especially here in our own democracy in America.

There has never been an Asian American Jewish in-person Passover Seder. Until this year.

Despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, LUNAR: The Jewish-Asian Film Project was able to produce a multifaceted Asian Jewish Passover, free of charge..

FACT: Life begins at birth. FACT: Until birth, the fetus is part of the mother. FACT: The life and well-being of the mother will always take precedence over the fetus until the point at which the fetus's head fully emerges from the womb, and it becomes a living baby. These are the facts as I believe them to be, based on my faith, tradition, and understanding of Jewish law. While I understand that some people may hold different religious views, they are not binding on me. Until now.