Entries by Rachel Barenblat
One heart: reading Yitro after Colleyville
In this week’s Torah portion, Yitro, we receive Torah at Sinai. Tradition teaches that every Jewish soul that ever was and ever will be was present at Sinai. At Sinai […]
A message from R. Rachel re CBI of Colleyville, TX
Dear Congregation Beth Israel community, There is nothing quite like the gut-wrenching feeling of emerging from the peace of Shabbat — a day when some of us avoid the news […]
From smallness to hope – a d’varling for Bo
In this week’s Torah portion, Bo, we are deep in the story of the plagues and traumas that unfolded as a prelude to yetziat Mitzrayim, our Exodus or going-forth from […]
The ones who come after: Vayechi
This week’s parsha is Vayechi, “He lived.” It opens, “Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt, so that the span of Jacob’s life came to one hundred and […]
Abundance and dreams, resilience and hope: Miketz and Chanukah
Pharaoh’s dreams (artist unknown); an oil-lamp chanukiyah. This week we continue the Joseph story. In this installment, Pharaoh has two disturbing dreams. In one dream, seven happy fat cows emerge […]
Shavua tov, chag sameach, and looking forward to Shabbat Chanukah!
Shabbat Services This Week Join us this week for multi-access Shabbat Chanukah Morning Services at 9:30am on Saturday. Because it’s Chanukah, we’ll sing the praise songs of Hallel with our morning […]
Wrestle and stretch – a d’varling for Vayishlach
This week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, contains the story from which our people takes its name. Jacob is on his way to meet up with his brother Esau for the first […]
Integrity and becoming – a d’varling for Toldot
Our Torah stories are the same every year. But as we change and grow, we find new ideas and understandings in the same old stories. In the verses from Toldot […]
Go – a d’varling for Lech-Lecha
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ Lech-lecha / go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will […]
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