Program Note: If you are studying for or completing your bar or bat mitzvah you can work with your rabbi, cantor or religious school teachers to complete the Ner Tamid emblem for Scouts BSA. Your studies and efforts will prepare you to easily complete nearly 70 percent of the requirements. The Ner Tamid emblem will […]
Dear Scouts: This week’s parasha, Tzav, has an important connection to next week’s important event – Passover, our festival of freedom. Tzav has very detailed instructions about some of the korbanim (sacrifices) that were given in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) in the desert, and later in the Beis HaMikdash (Temple) in Jerusalem. Some of […]
Program Note: With Scouts and parents at home for a few weeks, how about working on your religious emblems. Cub Scout emblems are a great family activity. Scouts BSA and Venturing emblems can double as scholarly activities. For more information, workbooks and applications see https://www.jewishscouting.org/awards-and-emblems/ Dear Scouts: For weeks we’ve been learning about the Mishkan […]
Program Note: With Scouts and parents at home for a few weeks, how about working on your religious emblems. Cub Scout emblems are a great family activity. Scouts BSA and Venturing emblems can double as scholarly activities. For more information, workbooks and applications seehttps://www.jewishscouting.org/awards-and-emblems/ Dear Scouts: For weeks we’ve been learning about the Mishkan (Tabernacle) […]
This week, for many reasons, I am thinking of the founder of the Order of the Arrow, Dr. E. Urner Goodman. Last Friday, March 13, was the fortieth anniversary of his passing. He lived a happy life dedicated to leading Scouts in service to others. Leadership and service are two of the themes of this […]
This week, for many reasons, I am thinking of the founder of the Order of the Arrow, Dr. E. Urner Goodman. Last Friday, March 13, was the fortieth anniversary of his passing. He lived a happy life dedicated to leading Scouts in service to others. Leadership and service are two of the themes of this […]
Dear Scouts, There is a lot of counting going on in this week’s parasha, Ki Sisa. It begins with God’s instructions that, when Moses takes a census of the Children of Israel, he is to do so by collecting a half-shekel from each person over 20 years old. The words Ki Sisa mean “to raise […]
This week I study with prayers for the return of good health – refuah shleimah – for a loved one, Batya bat Golda. Dear Scouts: This week, we read Parshat Tetzaveh. Now that the Mishkan (Tabernacle) has been constructed, God commands that Aaron and his sons be consecrated to holy service as priests (Kohanim), and gives instructions […]
This week I study with prayers for the return of good health – refuah shleimah – for a loved one, Batya bat Golda. Dear Scouts: This week, we read Parashat Tetzaveh. Now that the Mishkan (Tabernacle) has been constructed, God commands that Aaron and his sons be consecrated to holy service as priests (Kohanim), and […]
This week, I write in memory of Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, US Army Chaplain and former Scoutmaster, one of the Four Chaplains who gave up their lives saving others in the sinking of the troop ship USS Dorchester, February 3, 1943 (28 Shevat – last Sunday). Dear Scouts: Recall some of the formal […]
Dear Scouts: This week’s Torah portion is Mishpatim – Judgments. It discusses cases that come before a court. Last week, in Parasha Yitro, we learned how God gave us the Ten Commandments. We also saw that Moses, acting on the advice of his father-in-law, Yitro, established courts headed by distinguished members of the community. Since […]
Dear Scouts: This week’s Torah portion is Mishpatim – Judgments. It discusses cases that come before a court. Last week, in Parasha Yitro, we learned how God gave us the Ten Commandments. We also saw that Moses, acting on the advice of his father-in-law, Yitro, established courts headed by distinguished members of the community. Since we’ve been […]
This week starts our ninth year of Derech Tsofeh. We are fortunate to feature a d’var Torah by Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, the founder and Executive Director of the Kavana Cooperative, an innovative Jewish community in Seattle. Dear Scouts, Just last week, the Israelites experienced the Exodus from Egypt, crossing between two walls of […]
This week starts our ninth year of Derech Tzofeh. We are fortunate to feature a d’var Torah by Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, the founder and Executive Director of the Kavana Cooperative, an innovative Jewish community in Seattle. Dear Scouts, Just last week, the Israelites experienced the Exodus from Egypt, crossing between two walls of water as […]
This week marks the completion of eight years of Derech Tsofeh. Thanks to our readers and guest writers. Dear Scouts, This week, Parasha Beshalach deals with a recurrent theme in the Torah – water. Recall a few weeks ago, when we learned Pharaoh tried to control the strength of the Israelites, who […]
Dear Scouts, Last week, we learned of the first seven of the Ten Plagues. This week, in Parasha Bo, God sends the last three plagues upon Egypt: swarms of locusts that covered the entire land; six days of intense darkness; and the death of the first born of all people and animals, except the […]
Dear Scouts: Parasha Va’era teaches us about the first seven of the 10 Plagues: – The water in the Nile and everywhere else in Egypt except Goshen, where the Israelites live, turned to blood. – Frogs came up from every body of water. – Lice came up from the dust. – Beasts swarmed freely […]
Dear Scouts: In this week’s parasha, Shemos (Exodus), we begin the story of – you guessed it – the Exodus. Since much of the rest of the Torah is the tale of a 40-year hike, it’s appropriate that we are also introduced to a classic piece of Scout equipment – the hiking stick. In fact, we learn about the world’s […]
Dear Scouts: This week’s parasha, Vayechi, is taken up with the death of the last of the Patriarchs, Jacob, and his son, Joseph. Jacob is very old and knows that he will die soon. He asks Joseph to promise that Joseph will take him back to Canaan to be buried. Before his death, Jacob […]
This week, I study thinking of all those – Jews and non-Jews – targeted for violence because of their faith, and pray for an end to such hatred. Dear Scouts, This week, in Parasha Vayigash, we come to the final act in the story of Joseph and his brothers. Last week Joseph, […]
Dear Scouts, This week we read Parasha Mikeitz, one of the most dramatic stories in the Torah. Last week, we learned that Joseph’s 10 older brothers sold him into slavery, and that ultimately he ended up in Egypt. The end of last week’s parasha covers what happens to Joseph once he gets to Egypt. The caravan […]
Dear Scouts, There is trouble in Jacob’s family, and we read about it this week in Parasha Vayeishev. Jacob’s 12 sons work in the family business – raising sheep – except for Joseph, who is 17, and Benjamin, who is just a child. Joseph is Jacob’s favorite, and the other sons sense this. Jacob even […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, Vayishlach (“and he sent”) is about sending messages. Jacob and his large family and household of servants, together with his many flocks and herds of animals, are on the journey from the home of his father-in-law, Laban, back to Canaan. Jacob knows he will encounter his brother, Esau. […]
Dear Scouts: This week’s parasha, Vayeitzei, tells us about the 20-year journey of our father, Jacob, and his family. The title, Vayeitzei (“departs”), comes from the first sentence in which the Torah says Jacob departed Beersheva. Rashi explained that his departure is important, because when a righteous person leaves a place, he takes its glory, splendor and […]
Dear Scouts, I hope everyone is enjoying Thanksgiving, and their family traditions. This week, in Parasha Toldos, we learn about family traditions through lives of Isaac and his wife, Rebecca. They are childless, as Isaac’s parents were for so many years, so Isaac prays for children. The couple is rewarded with twin boys, […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha is Chayei Sarah, “The Life of Sarah,” but it is really about her legacy. The Torah records that Sarah died at the age of 127, described as one hundred and twenty and seven. Our Sages explain this is because she was as beautiful at 100 as she was at […]
Dear Scouts, Parsha Vayeira continues the story of Abraham’s journeys and trials. It’s also the story of Abraham, the good Scout! The parsha starts with Abraham recovering from having circumcised himself. Very Brave, and quite a feat of First Aid. God knows how much Abraham loves to take care of strangers, and […]
This week, I study in memory of my dear father-in-law, Milton Freedman, Mendel ben Sholom. He was the proud grandfather of many Scouts. Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, Lech Lecha, teaches us about the beginnings of the Jewish people, with the first Jew, the Patriarch Abraham. We encounter Abraham on a journey. […]
I write this week in memory of my beloved mother, Ethel Block (Etel bat Avraham Avigdor), whose jahrzeit is next week. She was the sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of many Scouts, and an active supporter of Scouting. Dear Scouts: This week, we read Parasha Noach – the story of Noah. At […]
Dear Scouts, Once again, we begin the cycle of reading the Torah, with the story of the creation of the universe, Parsha Bereishit. You’ll recall that God creates things on different “days”. (The rabbis disagree on whether these were 24-hour days.) Let’s review what God created on each day: Day 1 – Light […]
Thanks for the idea of this week’s d’var Torah to my friend and teacher, the late Rabbi Joseph Radinsky of United Orthodox Synagogues, Houston, and a strong supporter of Scouting. Dear Scouts: We are nearing the conclusion of a very special three weeks. We observed Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur, when looked at how we […]
Dear Scouts, Sunday night we start the festival of Sukkot, when we get to camp out in our home-made huts and recall the kinds of booths our ancestors lived in during the Jewish people’s travels in the Wilderness. It’s interesting how Sukkot is just a few days after Yom Kippur, and how they […]
Shanah Tovah – Happy New Year! This week’s parasha is Vayelech, in which we learn about some of the things that happen on the last day of Moses’ life. On that day, Moses installs Joshua as his successor. Because Yom Kippur is next Tuesday night and Wednesday, instead of studying Vayelech, we prepare for Yom Kippur with one […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, Nitzavim, Moses gathers the people together. It’s the day before he dies. He says “You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord, your God.” He goes on to describe everyone who is gathered there – the heads of tribes, elders, officers, men, children, women, those who have converted and the people […]
Dear Scouts, The opening portions of this week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, describe the offering of the Bikurim, when farmers offered the harvest’s first fruits at the Temple, to thank God for providing them food. The person bringing the Bikurim made a confession, to recall how his ancestors were enslaved in Egypt and were redeemed by God, brought to the Land of […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, Ki Seitzei, contains more mitzvot than any other parasha in the Torah. Among them are how a soldier is to treat a beautiful woman whom he captures in battle and wants to marry; how children inherit a parent’s wealth; what parents are to do with a rebellious son; the obligation to return lost items; marriages […]
Dear Scouts, In Parasha Shoftim (judges) this week, we learn about many leaders of the Children of Israel – judges, prophets, Kohanim (priests), the special Kohen for war, the Levites who cared for and guarded the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and later the Temple, and the king. No, not Elvis, but the real king. Here’s what we learn about the king. – When […]
Dear Scouts: This week, in Parasha Re’eh, God describes many mitzvot the Children of Israel are to perform when they reach the Land of Israel: To destroy the places of idol worship in Israel, to worship only at the places God shall choose for the Tabernacle (and later the Temple) and bring the offerings there, to not eat the […]
Dear Scouts, In Parasha Eikev, Moses continues his review of the mitzvot. He explains that, when the Jewish people follow the Torah and obey the commandments, they will be rewarded with fruitful families and lands, with abundant crops and flocks. Then, Moses describes how Scouting works! He describes how God took the Israelites through the Wilderness for 40 […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, V’Eschanan, begins with our review of many important laws already covered in the Torah. This review is why Devarim (Deuteronomy) is often called the Mishna Torah (Repetition of the Torah). This parasha includes such important things as the Ten Commandments and parts of the Shema. The parasha also includes […]
