Drops of Torah from our members

We all have the capacity to share our wisdom and reflections about the Torah texts we read each week. The Congregation Beth Israel Drops of Torah project provides an opportunity for people to share a brief reflection or short insight about the week's Torah portion. These short pieces are written by our members with support from our rabbis (as needed). Our plan is to have members reflect on 1/9 of a Torah portion each week so that in nine years we will have commented on the whole Torah! Beth Israel follows the Israeli Torah reading calendar which sometimes differs from the Conservative and Orthodox Torah reading calendar outside of Israel but will always sync up before the end of the Torah reading year. Consider signing up for a drop of Torah. For more information, contact Rabbi Nathan Martin.

Drops of Torah from Prior Years

1. Parashat Beresheit by Rabbi Aviva
2. Noah by Rabbi Nathan
3. Lekh Lekha by Rabbi Nathan
4. Vayera by Rabbi Aviva
5. Hayyei Sarah by Kathy Trow
6. Toldot by Me'ira
7. Vayetze by Mark Rosenberg
8. Vayishlach by Rabbi Nathan
   
9. Vayeshev by Lynn Cashell
10. Hanukkah by Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Aviva
11. Vayigash by Amy Strauss
12. Vayehchi by Abigail Weinberg
13. Shemot by Larry Hamermesh
14. Vaera by Jen Katz-Buonincontro

Parashat Beresheit by Rabbi Aviva

Intention
May a close reading of The First Human highlight and celebrate the holiness of expansive gender identities.

Commentary
In the book of Beresheit, we meet the first human. When we have our first encounter with Adam, we typically translate "adam" as Adam... you know... that guy in the beginning of Torah that Gd creates. From stories we heard as a child and through pop culture, we all have our own idea of who this Adam guy was (and that he was, in fact, a guy). But a much truer translation of adam is Human or Earthling.  When Gd creates adam, adam is with all gender, ...VaYevarech Elohim et HaAdam b'tzalmo, "And HaShem created Adam/the First Human in the divine image... creating it in the image of Gd, male and female Gd created them" (Bereshit 1:27). This verse suggests that The First Human was both singular and plural, male and female and all genders in-between.  The expansiveness of Gd is reflected in The First Human-- b'tzalmo (in Gd's image). I love this verse because it lifts up and affirms the holiness of the spectrum of gender identity and expression. Just as Adam contains all genders, so too do we, humans today and Jewish people everywhere, contain all genders. (Return to Top) 

Noah by Rabbi Nathan

Intention
May we find a way into prayer that feels authentic and helps to light deeper connections to the universe

Commentary
In this week's Torah portion, the commandment by God to Noah to "go into the ark" and to create an opening at the top of the ark for light to enter is understood by the Hasidic masters as an instruction about prayer. The word in Hebrew for ark - teiva - also means "word." And thus the command to make a window/light source for the ark can be re-read as "make your words light." In this sense, engaging more deeply with the words of prayer - going into our word/ark, will allow the "light" of our prayer practice to overflow and shine through our lives both during the service and beyond. (Return to Top) 

Lek Lekha by Rabbi Nathan

Intention
May we listen to the call for internal growth and realignment as an important step in any life change.

Commentary
This weekend's Torah portion begins with God's instruction to Abram (later Abraham) and his family to leave his home and go to a place that God will show them. The instruction has the unusual phrasing, from which we get the Hebrew name of our Torah portion, of "Lekh Lekha" rather than just "lekh (go)." This leaves an opening for much commentary on the extra "lekha" which can be understood to mean "for you" or "to you." Hasidic commentaries take the extra step of understanding this as an instruction to "Go into yourself." The idea here is that the beginning of significant life changes and journeys often begin within the self as Abraham, and we too, seek new vision and new spiritual alignment that allows us to become the change we envision. (Return to Top)

Vayera by Rabbi Aviva

Intention
May we recognize our own vitality as a source of strength to draw upon as we do the holy work of tikkun olam in our communities.

Commentary
In this week's parsha, Vayera, Gd intends to destroy the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah on the grounds of their inhabitants' transgressive behaviors. Abraham pleads to Gd to think of the innocent and righteous, and implores: "Far be it from you to do such a thing; shall not the Judge of all earth deal justly?!" Despite Gd not heeding Abraham's call, Abraham's plea to spare the righteous suggests that the righteous among us, if left to organize, act, and survive, may have the power to redeem the entire community-- sinners and all. In our own troubling and challenging times, may we recognize our own power and strength, and work together towards tikkun olam to bend the arc of the universe towards justice, on behalf of not just ourselves, but everyone. (Return to Top)

Hayyei Sarah by Kathy Trow

Intention
Making decisions in the height of grief can result in rash decisions that can have long term consequences.

Commentary
In Hayyei Sarah (Gen 23:1-25:18) Sarah dies in the land of Canaan. Since this was not Abraham’s homeland, he needed land to bury her. In his grief he approached the Hittites to purchase a burial site. “Abraham paid out to Ephron the money that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites-four hundred shekels of silver at the going merchant’s rate.”

I wonder if time was not of the essence to bury Sarah, maybe Abraham could have gotten the burial cave and fields surrounding it for a lesser price. It isn’t so much that he shouldn’t have paid as much or wouldn’t have, but many times in grief we make fast decisions that may be positive (like in this case Abraham and Sarah’s whole family are buried there- so a good investment!) or negative (was that a reasonable price for the land? Could he have negotiated the land for less money? Did the Hittites take advantage of a husband in mourning?). Either way, it is challenging to make important decisions at a time of deep grief. (Return to Top)

Toldot by Me’ira

Intention
May the powers that be model their behavior after Isaac and Avimelekh, working only towards peace, food, safety, and freedom for all.

Commentary
In the parshah Toldot, in the Torah, the Philistines and Isaac create a treaty, have a feast, and depart from each other in peace. 4,000 years later, we are operating under a tenuous ceasefire, waiting for the three remaining hostages, presumed dead, to be returned to Israel. Today - November 16, 2025 - Israel has opened the northern border of Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to enter, as a push towards that same peace. (Return to Top)

Vayetze by Mark Rosenberg

Intention
May we be open to considering that we don’t always know what is best for us.

Refection
As Jacob considered that he had been deceived by Laban and cheated out of Rachel as payment for his seven years of service, so might we consider sometimes that we may not know what is best for us. Jacob fathered a flock of children when he might not have conceived any without Laban’s deception. (Return to Top)

Vayishlach by Rabbi Nathan

Intention
May we continue the important practice of making space in our lives for gratitude and positivity, even in moments of hardship

Commentary
In this week's Torah portion Jacob instructs his servants to create "a space" between each offering of different herds of animals being sent as gifts to his brother Esau. The Hasidic master, Rebbe Nahman of Breslov, picks up on this phrase as an instruction for spiritual practice. Even in moments of hardship, and constriction, rather than seeing our life as one unending series of hopeless challenge, the instruction to "create space" can be understood an instruction to not catastrophize, fixate on suffering, or succumb to hopelessness. As Rabbi Sam Feinsmith's notes, the instruction to create space between one herd and another, can be an instruction for "placing space between the troubles, so that even in troubled times, God forbid, we will take notice of the space and expansiveness that the Blessed One has widened for us, bestowing goodness upon us from the day of our birth, and also [noticing] that even within the trouble itself God grants us expanse." (Return to Top)

Vayeshev by Lynn Cashell

Intention
In our parenting relationships may we aim to "adjust our love" accordingly to meet the needs of each child

Commentary
In this week's Torah portion the Joseph's brothers' jealousy becomes so inflamed that they cast him into a pit and later sell him into slavery. This jealousy is central to the Biblical narrative. The Smothers Brothers comedy duo used to do a routine where one would say to the other, “Mom likes you best.” As the youngest of 3 and the only girl, I thought that sometimes my mother liked my one brother best. Now, as a parent, I came to realize how this type of feeling could emanate. Each of our children need different things from their parents and that can be perceived as favoritism, yet it is recognizing that each of our children is unique with their own set of wants and needs and we need to readjust our parenting accordingly. Love comes in all forms. (Return to Top)

Hanukkah by Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Aviva

Our eight days of Hannukah celebration can be a jumping off point for the work of tikkun, of bringing our light into the world. We share two reflections on this theme:

-A series of mindful intentions for lighting the Hannukah candles by Rabbi/Cantor Eva Robbins

-An intention by Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz on connecting the lighting of the candles to activating our souls

We wish you all a Hannukah full of connection and light! (Return to Top)

Vayigash by Amy Strauss

Intention

As a result of reading this Torah portion, I am going to try to be more forgiving to those I feel have treated me unfairly.

Reflection

In this Torah portion, Joseph rises to power from being a slave. Vayisesh means “and he approached” His brothers go to buy food during a famine and Joseph offers himself as a slave so his brothers and the people of Israel have food to eat. Joseph makes no mention that his brothers were trying to kill him. Maimondes stated that “It is forbidden to be obdurate and not allow yourself to be insensitive. On the contrary, one should be easily pacified and find if difficult to become revengeful. When asked by an offender for forgiveness, one should forgive with a sincere mind and willing spirit, forgiveness is natural to the seed of Israel. (Return to Top)

Vayehchi by Abigail Weinberg

Kavanah
May we follow our paths to becoming the best versions of the humans we can be.

This week we finish reading the book of Breisheet (Genesis) - the first book of the five books of the Torah. Breisheet begins by describing the creation of the world - including humans - and proceeds to tell the stories of the first humans and the first Jewish families. Throughout the book, we've seen our ancestors at their best and their worst, each one on a journey toward becoming more of a "mentch". This week's parsha closes with Jacob blessing his children and Joseph forgiving his brothers, showing how far everyone has come. Breisheet teaches us that as humans, we need to work hard to become the best versions of ourselves, but that ultimately we all have the potential for improvement, even if we are flawed. (Return to Top)

Shemot by Larry Hamermesh

Intention
Grant us the wisdom to know when illegal resistance to injustice is warranted.

Commentary
Parsha Shemot presents several instances of active, illegal resistance to civil authority. Midwives Shiphrah and Puah refuse to carry out orders to kill newborn Jewish boys, and then concoct a fraudulent story to escape punishment. Even more strikingly (pun intended), Moses, satisfied that no one was looking, kills an Egyptian taskmaster for beating a Hebrew slave. Despite apparent inconsistency with Torah mitzvot (e.g., you shall not murder or lie), such conduct is not only permitted but even venerated in our tradition as implementing divine justice. Belief that one’s conduct is divinely mandated, however, has been the cause of much cruelty and injustice. Whose conduct do you find more defensible: Shiphrah and Puah’s or Moshe’s? (Return to Top)

Vaera by Jen Katz-Buonincontro

Intention
May we be patient with ourselves when we find ourselves tongue-tied and know that we have the capacity to find ways to improve our communication

Commentary
In this week's Torah portion, Vaera, Moses appeals to God to not be the spokesperson for the Israelites by saying, “The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, me—who gets tongue-tied! (Ex. 6:12)" We all get tongue-tied, but why? Signaling confusion or lack of knowledge, it is important to develop habits of self-talk to get us through unpredictable incompetence and thus avoid getting tongue-tied. Sometimes we get embarrassed or cower in the presence of power. Research shows that reinforcing one’s ability to forge ahead can work well when actually saying something to oneself either privately, on paper or out loud. Though it may appear as common sense, a deliberate self-talk practice can help us avoid getting tongue-tied. (Return to Top)