This week marks the beginning of the month of Elul, the month of preparation for the High Holy Days. With so much going on, our divrei Torah are particularly rich: our writers examine the confluence of the month, the texts, and world events.
Just as Passover preparation requires turning the house upside down in the search for chametz, the High Holy Day preparation of Elul requires that we turn our internal houses upside down to seek out the issues that we may have hidden from ourselves. Whom have we hurt or offended? With what behaviors do we hurt ourselves? This month calls for rigorous honesty and that, in turn, calls for courage. Fortunately the texts will support us in our preparation.
This week’s parashah is Re’eh, “See!” which is the longest of all the parshiot in the Torah. Some divrei Torah on Parashat Re’eh:
Rabbi Nina J. Mizrahi – Blessings
Melissa Carpenter – Re’eih and Acharey Mot: The Soul in the Blood
Rabbi Stephen Fuchs – Why I Love the Lone Ranger
Hannah Perlberger – True Love is Never Blind
Rabbi Marc Katz – No Place for Factions
Rabbi David Ackerman – At the Crossroads, After Charlottesville
Rabbi Ruth Adar – What Do We Owe the Poor?
Shabbat Shalom Rabbi!