Tu Bishvat

Tu Bishvat 101

The “birthday of the trees” is a time for seders, tree-planting and more.

20 Black Jews You Should Know

From Yiddish theater to the rabbinate, Black Jews have risen to prominence and enriched all aspects of Jewish and American life.

How Hasidic Wisdom Can Change Your Relationship to the Natural World

Hasidic wisdom offers an alternative to the dominant Jewish paradigm which places human needs at the center of our relationship with the earth and its creatures.

7 Things You Should Know About Hebrew

The Jewish people’s traditional language has a storied past.

Advertisement

Next Torah Portion

Summary

In this Torah portion, Moses tells his father-in-law, Jethro, about the miracle of the exodus. Jethro proclaims that the Israelite God is greater than all other gods, and he makes a sacrifice. Jethro then advises Moses to delegate leadership roles in order not to tire himself out. The Israelites camp at the bottom of Mount Sinai. After three days, the mountain fills with smoke, and God delivers the Ten Commandments to His people.

FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

Parashat Yitro

Exodus 18:1-20:23

Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6

Parashat Yitro: On Leadership and Family

In a Torah portion long understood to be a lesson in leadership, we are led to believe Moses all but ignored those closest to him.

Kabbalat Shabbat Services

Meets: Fridays

Hosted by: My Jewish Learning


Recharge Now

Our weekly Shabbat newsletter, Recharge, features a thoughtful, timely essay to enrich your Shabbat. Here are a few of our recent pieces:

Higher Than Speech is Song

The more extraordinary our spiritual experiences, the more they put us beyond the scope of words

From the Sickbed

Sometimes we need the help of others to draw us out from the prison of our suffering.

Finding New Ways In

When our ways of engaging God aren’t working, we must find others.


MORE from MY JEWISH LEARNING

7 Ways the Torah Can Actually Sharpen Your Mind

Engaging with Torah is like yoga for the mind: It keeps our perspectives flexible and creativity strong.

Ask the Expert: Do All Religions Worship the Same God?

Jews don’t have a monopoly on God, but we do privilege and prefer our own access.

Similar Jewish Words You Don’t Want to Mix Up

From kibbitz/kibbutz to mitzvah/mikveh, we round up some easily confused Hebrew and Yiddish terms.

Who Was Moses in the Bible?

The greatest Jewish prophet led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Torah at Sinai, but he never entered the promised land.

How to Talk to God

The Hasidic prayer practice of hitbodedut — talking to God freely in one’s native tongue — helps to build intimacy over time.

Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World

This phrase with kabbalistic roots has come to connote social justice.

Advertisement