The Latest from
Temple Micah and Rabbi Mo

             – א –             I did not even make it to a whole word, I got stuck on just a letter.  א – Aleph. One the insights about the experience on Sinai from our tradition that resonates most deeply with me speaks to what was actually spoken in that…

DUST – עָפָר – AfarYour descendants will be as the dust of the earth … (Genesis 28:14) Talk about a backhanded compliment. The promise God makes to Jacob is that his descendants will be like, uh, DUST – עָפָר – Afar. I don’t know about you, but my first reaction…

TEN – עֲשָׂרָה – AsarI will not destroy, for the sake of the ten. (Genesis 18:32) In one of the greatest negotiations in recorded history , God agrees to ‘save’ Sodom and Gemorrah if Abraham can find TEN righteous people. Well, we know how that story ended … and have…

ARK – תֵּבָה – TayvahMake yourself an ARK of gopher wood. (Genesis 6:14) You may know that I built an ARK! We use it in the large sanctuary at Temple Micah. However, it is nothing like Noah’s! Even though the English word we use for our Torah-holding ARK and Noah’s…

RETURN – תּשׁוּבָה – Teshuvah If you find yourself at this time of year connecting in any way with the Jewish community you might come across the word, תּשׁוּבָה – Teshuvah. We spend the first ten days of our New Year – and technically the last month of the previous…

Curse – אָֽרָה – Arah “Put a curse upon this people for me.” (Number 22:6) I feel like a lot like cursing. The last few weeks have given all of us a lot to fret, worry, fear, get angry …. to curse about. It is not simply the colloquial sense…

Sovah – שֹׂבַע – Full “… you shall eat your fill of bread … “ (Leviticus 26:5) I love food. I love to eat so much so, that quite often even though there may not be room in my stomach for more food … the taste, the sensations, the feelings…

Pe’ah – פֵּאָה – Corner When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the CORNER of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. (Leviticus 19:9) How big is a CORNER? Is it merely the point where the two lines of…

Vayakarev – וַיַּקְרֵ֖ב – Brought forward Next he brought forward  … the people’s offering (Leviticus 9:15); He brought forward  … burnt offering (Leviticus 9:16); He brought forward  … meal offering (Leviticus 9:17). Hidden in plain sight in the voluminous account of the sacrificial cult in the book of Leviticus is…

Beged/Clothing/בֶּגֶד They made Aaron’s sacral vestments—as the Eternal One had commanded. (Exodus 39:1) There is a fine line between wearing clothes and … treachery?! In our sacred story this week the Aaron and his sons are getting all dressed up for their role as priests in the brand new Mikdash.…