Let’s talk about the Shema for a second, shall we? It’s a basis of our faith. We recite it twice a day. And this week is the last chance we get to use it in a dvar torah this year. Parshat Ekev ...

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I grew up praying to a god in a language I did not understand. In particular, as an observant Conservative Jewish American (that is, “Conservative Jewish, not “conservative, Jewish”), I grew up ...

The Shema bookends Yom Kippur. It is dramatically said at Yom Kippur’s onset. While the sentence Baruch Shem Kevod which follows Shema is normatively said quietly, on Yom Kippur it is said aloud.

Eli Sharabi was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th, and taken hostage by Hamas. Sharabi had never recited the Shema. Until he was in Gaza. Even though he was never a religious man ...

Shema Yisrael, or the Shema, is the central affirmation of Judaism. The prayer expresses belief in the singularity of God, that is, in God's oneness and incomparability. Though this opening verse is ...

Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. These words from Parashat Va’etchanan comprise the pillar upon which Jewish faith stands; our absolute belief in the one true G-d. Now, when we recite the ...

To hear – even in the dark. To listen – when we feel silenced. To act – when it would be easier to despair. To love – when hate seems louder. To believe – even now. It is impossible to write this week ...