By Julia Blum

There is a startling story in this week's Torah portion that has been speaking to my heart for years.  Definitely, there are many other stories here  -  Ki Tissa is  one of the richest and most complex portions in the entire Torah. However, for years I've been puzzled by this particular story; for years I've been sensing that God is revealing here a great mystery, not only about Israel, but about each one of us as well.

by  Michael Simons
elder at Devar Emet Congregation, Skokie, IL

Torah: Exodus 27:20-30:10
Haftarah: 1 Samuel 15:2-34
Brit Chadasha: John 14:1-9

There was a period in the 18th century known as the Enlightenment. The thinkers from that era included such well known men as Voltaire, Montesquieu and Jefferson, all of whom thought of God in a very interesting way. They believed that God did create the world, which of course is true to Scripture. They also believed that God left the world after that to run on its own course. It was like winding up a clock and then letting it run on its own.

By Rabbi Russ Resnik

Exodus 25:1–27:19

Recently I attended a service at the Church of Beethoven here in Albuquerque, which describes itself as Church minus the religion. Their website says:

What you can expect . . .

First of all, come early. Enjoy our complimentary espresso bar courtesy of EspressoArtists, serious Baristas who prepare first-class drinks in brightly colored ceramic cups. Save a seat, chat with friends. The one-hour program begins promptly at 10:30 am. We usually open with a short work . . . something out of the ordinary, followed by a reading by our poet of the morning. Intermission takes the form of a two-minute "celebration of silence" and finally a substantial work of chamber music to close the show.

By Rabbi Walter Lieber

By Rabbi Russ Resnik

A visit from the in-laws can be a real stressor. Even if we are on the best of terms, we know that the in-laws are distant enough to see things around the house from a different perspective, to notice things that we might overlook, like the peeling paint or the toilet that doesn't flush quite right, but near enough to actually say something about them. So when the in-laws are on their way, we scurry around the house to get everything looking its best, fixing that squeaky hinge on the back door, cleaning behind the refrigerator, and trimming the hedge in the backyard that we'd almost forgotten about.

by Rebbetzin Malkah Forbes,
Seattle, WA

When the Baal Shem Tov was young, he lived in the mountains of southern Russia.
From time to time he would walk to the top of a mountain, and lose himself in thought.
Lost to the world, lost to himself, but found to G-d.Deep in this lostness and this foundness, he once began to walk where there was no ground to walk on.
As he put his foot down, he was stepping into an abyss.
But before he could hurtle downward, a nearby mountain moved, and closed the gap.
The Baal Shem, all unknowing, continued on firm ground:  lost to the world, lost to himself, but found to G-d.            - - Chassidic tale

Stonewashing is a process in the textile industry that is used to give a new denim cloth garment a worn-out appearance. This process also helps to increase the softness and flexibility of otherwise stiff and rigid fabrics such as denim.  This process entails what the name implies: washing the denim with large stones to roughen up and soften the cloth.

By Joshua Brumbach

Exodus 10:1-13:16

Last week's Torah portion, Va'era, introduced the first seven of the ten plagues. This week, Parashat Bo identifies the final three plagues and records the mitzvot ("commandments") concerning Passover.

Each of these plagues is devastating enough on its own, but added up together you can see why the result was the dramatic climax of Israel's exodus from Egypt. Each plague is a demonstration of God's might and omnipotence. What most people miss in the story is that each plague carries its own unique message, as each plague was meant to bring a direct assault against a different Egyptian deity. "... and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, I am the LORD" (Exodus 12:12b).