V’zot HaBracha/ Simchat Torah: An Unfinished Story

Simchat Torah will never be the same. Three years after October 7, this day will always carry a sense of before and after. A day associated with joy and dancing is now also a time to honor those we lost and ensure that their devotion and legacy live on through us. This message is embedded…

Ha’azinu: Enduring Truth

How do we respond when people distort the truth or create false narratives about the Jewish people? Surprisingly, the first Rashi on Parshat Ha’azinu speaks directly to this question and offers a reassuring answer. Moshe calls upon the heavens and earth: “Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! And let the earth hear the words…

Nitzavim-Vayelech: Relationship Repair

Teshuva, one of the central mitzvot of Elul and the Yamim Noraim, has its biblical source in Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech. The Torah portrays teshuva as a dynamic of return between Am Yisrael and God that can also serve as a model for repairing relationships and fostering positive change in our own lives. Ramban derives the mitzvah…

Ki Tavo: How We Speak About Israel

Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the mitzvah of bikkurim, the offering of first fruits. This ceremony, echoing previous biblical stories, carries a relevant message for our generation’s relationship with the land of Israel. After settling the land, the people are commanded to bring their first fruits to the Beit Hamikdash and recite a declaration recounting…

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About Me

I’m Karen Miller Jackson, a certified Matan Morah l’Halakha, Jewish educator and writer. Welcome to my blog which provides Torah from a woman’s perspective for modern, busy people. To subscribe via email please sign up or by whatsapp here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CKLpCygJaBf20sKbNmRV1u