Table of Contents
Introduction xv
Bereshit/Genesis
Bereshit (1:1–6:8)
What If I Don't Like My Brother?
Rabbi Sherre Z. Hirsch 3
Look in the Mirror; Now Look Again
Danny Maseng 6
Noach (6:9–11:32)
Even Righteous People Make Mistakes
Rabbi Aaron Bisno 8
Being the "Un-Noah"
Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin 10
Lech Lecha (12:1–17:27)
Get Going!
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins 12
A GPS for Compassion
Rabbi Rami Shapiro 14
Vayera (18:1–22:24)
Answering the World's Oldest Question
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield 16
Be Present
Rabbi Judith Schindler 18
Chayei Sarah (23:1–25:18)
A Story of Prayer and Love
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer 20
Getting the Order Wrong—or Right
Rabbi Steven Z. Leder 22
Toldot (25:19–28:9)
The Most Serious Thing That Ever Happened to Me,
by Esau Isaacson
Rabbi Mordecai Finley, PhD 24
Esau's Tears
Rabbi Dana Saroken 27
Vayetzei (28:10–32:3)
Jacob’s Stairway
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso 29
Jacob’s Life Is Our Own
Rabbi David J. Wolpe 31
Vayishlach (32:4–36:43)
How to Become Yisrael
Rabbi Vernon Kurtz 33
Each of Us Has a Name
Rabbi Amy Joy Small 35
Vayeshev (37:1–40:23)
Not Your Plans—God’s
Rabbi Lawrence Kushner 38
That Man Is You
Rabbi Jack Moline 40
Miketz (41:1–44:17)
Truth or Consequences
Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox 43
The Tests of Adulthood
Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky 46
Vayigash (44:18–47:27)
Joseph Comes Out of the Closet
Rabbi Eve Rudin 49
Joseph or Moses: Who Do You Want to Be?
Barry Shrage 52
Vayechi (47:28–50:26)
Both Kindness to Others and Loyalty to Ourselves
Rabbi John Moscowitz 55
Sababa!
Rabbi Avi Weiss 57
Shemot/Exodus
Shemot (1:1–6:1)
No Such Thing as an Innocent Bystander
Rabbi William G. Hamilton 63
So, When Do You Really Grow Up?
Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin 65
Va’era (6:2–9:35)
Conviction, Yes; Stubbornness, No
Rabbi Howard L. Jaffe 67
Hard Hearts—For Real
Dr. Ron Wolfson 70
Bo (10:1–13:16)
Being a Global Team Player
Lisa Exler and Ruth W. Messinger 73
Does God Fight Fair?
Rabbi Avi S. Olitzky 76
Beshalach (13:17–17:16)
Finding Our Voice
Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller 78
That Nachshon Moment
Rabbi Sid Schwarz 80
Yitro (18:1–20:23)
Rules Are Jewish Love
Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl 82
What Kind of Leader Do You Want to Be?
Rabbi Jonah Pesner 84
Mishpatim (21:1–24:18)
"… And Another Thing!"
Rabbi Lester Bronstein 86
God Sweats the Small Stuff
Rabbi Debra Newman Kamin 88
Terumah (25:1–27:19)
What Kind of Sanctuary Are You Building?
Rabbi Amy Schwartzman 90
Inside Out
Dr. Ira H. Schweitzer, RJE 92
Tetzaveh (27:20–30:10)
Dress Code
Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, PhD 94
Someone Is Always Watching
Rabbi Michael Pincus 96
Ki Tisa (30:11–34:35)
Our Duty to One Another
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld 98
No Free Lunch
Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel 100
Vayakhel (35:1–38:20)
Finding Your Life’s Purpose
Rabbi Spike Anderson 102
Who Else Is Coming?
Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried 105
Pekudei (38:21–40:38)
Are You Accountable?
Rabbi Jill Jacobs 107
No Boat
Rabbi Paul Yedwab 109
Vayikra/Leviticus
Vayikra (1:1–5:26)
Who’s Calling, Please?
Rabbi Elyse Frishman 113
Sacrifice Play
Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt 115
Tzav (6:1–8:36)
A Perpetual Fire
Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky 118
Time for a God Upgrade
Rabbi Jamie Korngold 120
Shemini (9:1–11:47)
The Gold Standard for Kashrut
Rabbi Morris J. Allen 122
A Time for Silence
Rabbi Zoë Klein 125
Tazria (12:1–13:59)
Deep and Looking Up: How a Weird Story of Skin Disease Can Tell Us about Life over Death and Seeking Inner Peace
Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan and Rabbi Asher Lopatin 127
Metzora (14:1–15:33)
When Words Become Contagious
Rabbi Norman M. Cohen 130
Sacred Graffiti
Rabbi Shira Stern 133
Acharei Mot (16:1–18:30)
The Physical Is Also Spiritual
Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson 136
Never Stand Idly By
Rabbi Steven Greenberg 138
Kedoshim (19:1–20:27)
Tattoo, Taboo, and the Jew: Can I Be Buried in a Jewish Cemetery?
Rabbi Peter Berg 142
Sacred Sexuality
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg 146
Emor (21:1–24:23)
Animals: What’s Cruel, and What’s Not So Cruel?
Stan J. Beiner 148
God Said What?
Shulamit Reinharz, PhD, and Ellen Golub, PhD 151
Behar (25:1–26:2)
God’s Reset Button
Rabbi Mike Comins 155
Shabbat and the Power of the "Regular" and “Routine”
Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach 158
Bechukotai (26:3–27:34)
“Girls Rule! Boys Drool.”
Rabbi Marshal Klaven 160
A Big “If”
Rabbi Shira Stutman 162
Bemidbar/Numbers
Bemidbar (1:1–4:20)
Standing Guard
Rabbi Jonathan E. Blake 167
“They’ve Given You a Number, and Taken Away Your Name”
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman 169
Naso (4:21–7:89)
Accessing Your Superpowers
Rabbi Sarah Mack 172
Jealousy Is Like Poison
Ethan Klaris and Rabbi Burt Visotzky 174
Behaalotecha (8:1–12:16)
Facing the Wilderness
Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD 177
What Makes a Leader Powerful?
Deborah Meyer 180
Shelach-Lecha (13:1–15:41)
They Could Be Giants—So Could You!
Dr. Erica Brown 182
Don’t Be a Grasshopper!
Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman 185
Korach (16:1–18:32)
Rebels for What?
Rabbi Jessica Brockman 188
Teaching Lasts Longer Than Politics
Rabbi Michael Paley 190
Chukat (19:1–22:1)
Speak Up and Speak Out!
Emilia Diamant 193
No Leading While Angry!
Rabbi Edward Feld 195
Balak (22:2–25:9)
Because That’s What Jews Do
Robert Bildner 198
How Good Are Your Tents!
Cantor Ellen Dreskin 201
Pinchas (25:10–30:1)
It’s Not Fair!
Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson 203
A Fanatic Named Pinchas
Jerry Kaye 206
Mattot (30:2–32:42)
Silence Is Consent
Rabbi Laura Geller 208
Dugma Is Dogma
Ira J. Wise, RJE 211
Maasei (33:1–36:13)
Second Chances
Rabbi William Cutter, PhD, and Georgeanne Cutter 213
Are We There Yet?
Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl 216
Devarim/Deuteronomy
Devarim (1:1–3:22)
Trust the Rebellion
Rabbi Ken Chasen 221
Angry at God
Rabbi Harold S. Kushner 224
Va’etchanan (3:23–7:11)
Skydiving and Torah
Rabbi Marc Gellman, PhD 226
Curb Your Appetites
Rabbi Elaine Zecher 229
Ekev (7:12–11:25)
Everything We Do Matters
Dr. Arnold M. Eisen 232
The Two-Chambered Heart
Rabbi Micah D. Greenstein 234
Re’eh (11:26–16:17)
The Vision Thing
Wayne L. Firestone 237
To See Even (and Especially) Those Who Cannot
Rabbi Loren Sykes 239
Shoftim (16:18–21:9)
Judging Ourselves, Judging Others
Rabbi Felipe Goodman 242
War Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be
Rabbi Laurence E. Milder 244
Ki Tetzei (21:10–25:19)
You Must, Because You Can
Rabbi Edward Feinstein 247
The Ties That Bind
Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler 250
Ki Tavo (26:1–29:8)
An Unholy Mash-Up
Rabbi Joseph Black 253
Remember Who You Are (and Then, Party)
Rabbi David Steinhardt 255
Nitzavim (29:9–30:20)
The Ultimate Network
Rabbi Dr. Analia Bortz, MD 257
Standing for Civility
Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein 259
Vayelech (31:1–30)
Tunes
Joel Lurie Grishaver 261
Facing the End
Rabbi James Ponet 263
Haazinu (32:1–52)
Driven to Non-distraction
Rabbi Denise L. Eger 266
Listening—with Our Eyes
Rabbi David B. Rosen 268
Ve-zot Ha-brachah (33:1–34:12)
Building a Better World: A Vision, a Plan, and the Workers
Rabbi Andrew Davids 270
… And Ready to Start Again
Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz 272
Notes 275
Index by Contributor 277