| Torah Table Talk – Pirke Avot |
|
|
|
Dedicated by Frances and Buddy Brandt
With love to their grandchildren
Elka, Joshua, Lindsay, Oren z”l, Jenny, David, Lauren, Kayla, Zenna, and
Emily |
|
|
| WE
ARE BUSY UPDATING THIS, CORRECTING A FEW FORMAT ERRORS, PLEASE BE PATIENT. |
|
|
| Parshah |
Torah |
Haftarah |
Table Talk - 5770 (2009-2010) |
Sermon - 5770 (2009-2010) |
Table Talk - 5769 (2008-2009) |
Sermon - 5769 |
5768 (2007-2008) |
5767 (2006-2007) |
| Rosh
Hashanah - A (Erev Sermon) |
|
|
A Prayer without Words:
Meditating on the Sound of the Shofar |
One Thing Do I Ask of Adonai (cartoon on page) |
|
|
|
|
| Rosh
Hashanah |
|
|
|
The Things that Matter:
A Spiritual Tool Kit for Tough Times |
|
|
|
|
| Rosh
Hashanah- Special Readings |
|
|
|
Rosh Hashanah Kavanot for 5770 |
|
|
|
|
| Yom
Kippur |
Parshat Ha’azinu, Shabbat
Shuvah, Deuteronomy 32 |
|
You shall Practice Self-denial:
Fasting and Other Yom Kippur Practices |
Why Do Jewish?
A New Understanding Mitzvah
|
|
|
|
|
| DAY1- Sukkot |
|
|
|
Three Questions We Should Ask
When We Sit in the Sukkah |
|
|
|
|
| Vezot Haberakhah Simchat Torah |
Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12 |
Joshua 1:1-1:18 |
What Does it mean to Call Moses Rabbeinu, “Our
Teacher” |
|
|
|
|
|
| Shemini
Atzeret |
|
|
|
Yizkor and the Power of Stories |
|
|
|
|
| Acharei Mot |
Genesis 1:1-6:8 |
Isaiah 42:5-43:11 |
Earth-Being: Why We are All 'Adam' |
Shabbat: Why God Stopped |
The Moral Message of Creation |
Two Words That Change
Everything |
|
|
| Noach |
Genesis 6:9-11:32 |
Isaiah 54:1-55:5 |
B’rit: God in Search of a Partner |
Addiction: It All Began with Noah |
The Length and Limits of
Divine Forgiveness |
|
|
|
| Lekh Lekha |
Genesis 12:1-17:27 |
Isaiah 40:27-41:16 |
Baruch Attah: God’s Blessings and Our’s |
It’s Just a Story:
Finding Abraham and Ourselves |
Abraham: Man of Action or Man
of Faith? |
Unlikely Heroes |
|
|
| Vayeira |
Genesis 18:1-22:24 |
II Kings 4:1-4:37 |
Tzedakah U’mishpat: A Shared Mandate |
Does God Make House Calls? |
|
Who are Our Real Strangers? |
|
|
| Hayei Sarah |
Genesis 23:1-25:18 |
I Kings1:1-1:31 |
Zikna: Is Old Age a Time of Wisdom or Woe? |
Prayer, Partnership, and Passivity |
How to Respond in Times of
Sorrow and Celebration |
A Blessing for the
Person
Who Has “Everything” |
|
|
| Toldot |
Genesis 25:19-28:9 |
Malachi 1:1-2:7 |
Bekhorah: Of Birthrights, Blessings and Privilege |
|
Parental Favoritism: A Recipe
for Tragedy |
The Biblical Narrative: Whose
Story are we telling? |
|
|
| Vayetze |
Genesis 28:10-32:3 |
Hosea 12:13-14:10 |
Yirah: Does God Make us Tremble? |
Random Thoughts on Thanksgiving |
Who Do I Work For? Finding
Meaning in Livelihood |
A Meditation on Mumbai:
Creating Angels in the Face of Hate |
|
|
| Vayishlach |
Genesis 32:4-36:43 |
Hosea 11:7-12:12 |
Yisrael: Wrestling with Beings, Divine and Human |
Real Jewish Men |
Life Doesn’t Come with
Guarantees |
|
|
|
| Vayyeshev |
Genesis 37:1-40:23 |
Amos 2:6-3:8 |
Chet: Temptation, Sin and the Choices We Make |
POEMS FOR PARSHAT - Vayyeshev |
Understanding and Controlling
the “Evil Impulse” |
Creating a Home and a
Haven:
A New OJC Challenge |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
A Prayer for Annapolis:
Forgiveness, Faith and Fortitude |
|
|
| Miqeitz |
Genesis 41:1-44:17 |
I Kings 3:15-4:1 |
Vayitnaker: ‘He Played the Stranger:’
Alienation, Identity, and Forgiveness |
|
|
|
|
|
| Vayigash |
Genesis 44:18-47:27 |
Ezekiel 37:15-37:28 |
L’michyah sh’lachani: To save life, God has sent
me
Providence and Human Initiative |
Does Joseph Forgive His Brothers? |
The Power and Danger of
Authority |
Joseph, Madoff, Gaza and
Beyond: Who is Watching; Who Cares? |
|
|
| Vayechi |
Genesis 47:28-50:26 |
I Kings 2:1-12 |
|
|
Rabbi Eleazar’s Lesson:
Facing Life and Death |
|
|
|
| Shemot |
Exodus 1:1-6:1 |
Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-29:23 |
|
|
Becoming and Being a Mensch:
True Leadership |
Why God Chose Moses:
Lessons in Leadership for our President-Elect and Nation |
|
|
| Va'eira |
Exodus 6:2-9:35 |
Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 |
|
|
Beyond Child’s Play:
Pondering the Plagues, Part 1 |
Who are Our Real Strangers? |
|
|
| Bo |
Exodus 10:1-13:16 |
Jeremiah 46:13-46:28 |
|
|
Beyond Child’s Play:
Pondering the Plagues, Part 2 |
|
|
|
| Beshalach (Shabbat Shirah) |
Exodus 13:17-17:16 |
Judges 4:4-5:31 |
|
|
Don’t Rejoice in the
Suffering of Others |
Song: the Language of Faith |
|
|
| Yitro |
Exodus 18:1-20:23 |
Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-9:6 |
|
|
Elevator Judaism: 613, 10, or
only 1? |
|
|
|
| Mishpatim |
Exodus 21:1-24:18 |
Jeremiah 34:8-34:22; 33:25-33:26 |
|
|
God’s Covenant: Piety,
Property and Polity |
Vision and Reality:
Israel and all the Rest of Life |
|
|
| Terumah |
Exodus 25:1-27:19 |
I Kings 5:26-6:13 |
|
|
What We Get from What We Give |
|
|
|
| Titzaveh |
Exodus 27:20-30:10 |
Ezekiel 43:10-43:27 |
|
|
Learning Torah: Obligation or
Recreation? |
|
|
|
| Ki Tisa |
Exodus 31:11-34:35 |
I Kings 18:1-18:39 |
|
|
O Havrutah, O Meetutah:
Torah Learning as a Shared Experience |
“At Any Cost:”
The Other Side of Aaron & Bernie |
|
|
| Vayaqhel |
Exodus 35:1-38:20 |
I Kings 7:40-7:50 |
|
|
Zen and the Art of Torah
Study
(With apologies to the Buddhists) |
|
|
|
| Pekudei |
Exodus 38:21-40:38 |
I Kings 7:51-8:21 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Vayikra |
Leviticus 1:1-5:26 |
Isaiah 43:21-44:23 |
|
|
Vayikra and Avodah: The Book
of Divine Service |
|
|
|
| Tzav |
Leviticus 6:1-8:36 |
Jeremiah 7:21-8:3; 9:22-9:23 |
|
|
Measuring Character: Pedigree
or Piety? |
|
|
|
| Shemini |
Leviticus 9:1-11:47 |
II Samuel 6:1-7:17 |
|
|
In Silence and in Speech:
Responding to Tragedy |
|
|
|
| Tazria |
Leviticus 12:1-13:59 |
II Kings 4:42-5:19 |
|
|
Is Gossip a Disease? Is
Silence the Cure? |
Durban II:
When Words Become a Disease |
|
|
| Metzora |
Leviticus 14:1-15:33 |
II Kings 7:3-7:20 |
|
|
|
|
| Acharei Mot |
Leviticus 16:1-18:30 |
Ezekiel 22:1-22:19 |
|
|
Holiness, Heavenliness, and
Heaven |
What Susan Boyle Taught Us |
|
|
| Kedoshim |
Leviticus 19:1-20:27 |
Amos 9:7-9:15 |
|
|
| Emor |
Leviticus 21:1-24:23 |
Ezekiel 44:15-44:31 |
|
|
Kiddush Hashem: How We Make
Life Holy |
|
|
|
| Behar |
Leviticus 25:1-26:2 |
Jeremiah 32:6-32:27 |
|
|
Sin, Consequence, and Justice
from the Ground Up |
|
|
|
| Bechukotai |
Leviticus 26:3-27:34 |
Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 |
|
|
|
| Bemidbar |
Numbers 1:1-4:20 |
Hosea 2:1-2:22 |
|
|
The Wilderness: The Best and
Worst of Times |
|
|
|
| Nasso |
Numbers 4:21-7:89 |
Judges 13:2-13:25 |
|
|
Shalom: The Sum of all
Blessings |
|
|
|
| Beha'alotkca |
Numbers 8:1-12:16 |
Zechariah 2:14-4:7 |
|
|
Cultivating Humility |
|
|
|
| Shelach |
Numbers 13:1-15:41 |
Joshua 2:1-2:24 |
|
|
Choose Your Words
Carefully! |
|
|
|
| Korach |
Numbers 16:1-18:32 |
I Samuel 11:14-12:22 |
|
|
Controversies For and Against
“Heaven’s Sake” |
|
|
|
| Chukkat |
Numbers 19:1-22:1 |
Judges 11:1-11:33 |
|
|
Abraham and Balak: How We Use
Our Gifts
|
|
|
|
| Balak |
Numbers 22:2-25:9 |
Micah 5:6-6:8 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Pinchas |
Numbers 25:10-30:1 |
I Kings 18:46-19:21 |
|
|
The Sacred Dimension of
Things, Time, People, Community and Law |
|
|
|
| Mattot |
Numbers 30:2-32:42 |
Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 |
|
|
Learning to Control One’s Anger |
|
|
|
| Masei |
Numbers 33:1-36:13 |
Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Devarim |
Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 |
Isaiah 1:1-1:27 |
|
|
Sefer Devarim: A Preface to the High Holy Days |
|
|
|
| Va'etchanan |
Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 |
Isaiah 40:1-40:26 |
|
|
No Guarantees in Prayer |
|
|
|
| Eiqev |
Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 |
Isaiah 49:14-51:3 |
|
|
Every Mitzvah Makes a Difference |
|
|
|
| Re'eh |
Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 |
Isaiah 54:11-55:5 |
|
|
Tzedakah: a Donor’s and a Solicitor’s Perspective |
|
|
|
| Shoftim |
Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 |
Isaiah 51:12-52:12 |
|
|
Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Of Judges and
Witnesses |
|
|
|
| Ki Teitzei |
Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 |
Isaiah 54:1-54:10 |
|
|
Do Mitzvot make a difference? |
Mitzvah: Lost in Translation |
|
|
| Ki Tavo |
Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 |
Isaiah 60:1-60:22 |
|
|
Understanding Reward and Punishment |
Beyond Threats:
Teaching People How to Live |
|
|
| Nitzavim |
Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20 |
Isaiah 61:10-63:9 |
|
|
Teshuvah: The Keys to the World to Come |
|
|
|
| Vayeilekh |
Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30 |
Isaiah 55:6-56:8 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ha'azinu |
Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52 |
II Samuel 22:1-22:51 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Vezot Haberakhah |
Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12 |
Joshua 1:1-1:18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|