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Parashat Vayikra: God calling
Rabbi James Stone Goodman (Di Piazza) So many lessons in Vayikra, “and God called,” the first word. First the lesson in form, the alef in the word Vayikra, “and God called” is writ small in every...
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Gratitude, giving thanks are self-nourishing rituals
Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh is senior rabbi at Temple Emanuel and a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Jewish Light. The Torah portion...
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Should illegal immigrants be deported?
To most people, the 2005 movie “Wedding Crashers” is a lighthearted comedy romp in which two lovelorn bachelors crash weddings to meet women. But imagine the following scenario: At your daughter’s...
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Two Missouri bills are despicable, very un-Jewish
Amidst the sea of suffering the current administration is perpetrating on people here and abroad, I call your attention to anti-immigration legislation in Missouri: SB 58 and SB 72. SB 58 does a...
View ArticleLetters To The Editor – April 2 Issue
Seeking community’s support As we near the celebration of Passover, we thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you and for helping our community thrive. The St. Louis Rabbinical and...
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This Yom Hazikaron, be present: A call to reflect, remember and unite
Being part of a Jewish community outside of Israel reminds me how deeply connected we all are, no matter where we are in the world. As a Jewish people, we share many holidays and traditions that unite...
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Could Talmudic debate help solve world’s intractable problems?
In February I enrolled in a six-week “Decoding the Talmud” course taught by Chabad Rabbi Yosef Landa. I learned about the Gemara and the centuries-old debates it is based on. Although the latter...
View ArticleLetters To The Editor – April 16 Issue
Readers respond to rabbi’s commentary The April 2 edition contains a deeply disturbing commentary (“Should illegal immigrants be deported?”) by Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, in which he begins with a highly...
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They built a museum so we wouldn’t forget—now it’s our turn to remember
“We can’t let people ever forget,” said Leo Wolf, chairman emeritus of the St. Louis Holocaust Committee and a Holocaust survivor, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s 1995 coverage of the opening of the...
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D’var Torah on Tazria-Metzora: It’s not personal
I get sinus infections. I often get them more than once a year. By the time my symptoms go from bad to worse, I’m on antibiotics, an antihistamine, a steroid inhaler, a nasal spray, a nasal rinse, an...
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