Power Parsha

Va’ethchanan & Nachamu: Messages of Comfort

Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort, always follows Tisha B’Av – a day that embodies Jewish suffering throughout the ages. What message of comfort does this juxtaposition offer the Jewish world and Israel today? The message of Nachamu – the haftarah from Isaiah 40 – is that even after destruction, God’s comfort is assured. This…

Power Parsha

Devarim: How We Retell Our Story

The book of Devarim is also called Mishneh Torah, the “repetition” of the Torah. The retelling of one story in particular shows how the way we remember our past shapes both our leaders and ourselves. The first historical narrative Moshe shares with the second generation in the desert is the story of the meraglim (spies).…

Power Parsha

Matot-Masei: Our Ongoing Journey

Parshat Matot-Masei recounts Bnei Yisrael’s forty-year journey through the desert as they approach their ultimate destination – the Land of Israel. Many commentators ask why the Torah repeats the list of masaot (journeys) when they have already been described. Their answers offer wisdom and hope for the Jewish people’s own journey today. The Midrash Tanhuma…

Power Parsha

Pinchas: Rooted in the Past, Building the Future

Parshat Pinchas presents one of the Torah’s most remarkable moments of moral leadership, when the foundations of the emerging nation are tested for justice and compassion. How fitting that this story is read during a week that marks significant milestones for both Israel and the United States. After the Torah outlines how the Land of…

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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