Mishnah Sukkah 2:9 כָּל שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה סֻכָּתוֹ קֶבַע וּבֵיתוֹ עֲרַאי All seven days of Sukkot, a person renders his sukkah his permanent residence and his house his temporary residence Sukkot is a physically taxing holiday. Building a sukkah can be cumbersome – the walls, the roof, schlepping in tables, and chairs. Not to mention the many trips back…

Deuteronomy 26:3-4 וּבָאתָ֙ אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֗יו הִגַּ֤דְתִּי הַיּוֹם֙ לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כִּי־בָ֙אתִי֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֧ע יְהֹוָ֛ה לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ לָ֥תֶת לָֽנוּ׃ וְלָקַ֧ח הַכֹּהֵ֛ן הַטֶּ֖נֶא מִיָּדֶ֑ךָ וְהִ֨נִּיח֔וֹ לִפְנֵ֕י מִזְבַּ֖ח יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ You shall go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, “I acknowledge this day before the Lord your God that I have entered the…

Deuteronomy 23:7 וְכֵ֧ן תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה לַחֲמֹר֗וֹ וְכֵ֣ן תַּעֲשֶׂה֮ לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ֒ וְכֵ֣ן תַּעֲשֶׂ֗ה לְכׇל־אֲבֵדַ֥ת אָחִ֛יךָ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאבַ֥ד מִמֶּ֖נּוּ וּמְצָאתָ֑הּ לֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לְהִתְעַלֵּֽם׃ You shall do the same with their donkey; you shall do the same with their garment; and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow Israelite loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent. The Hebrew language is incredible.…

Deuteronomy 20:8 וְיָסְפ֣וּ הַשֹּׁטְרִים֮ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־הָעָם֒ וְאָמְר֗וּ מִי־הָאִ֤ישׁ הַיָּרֵא֙ וְרַ֣ךְ הַלֵּבָ֔ב יֵלֵ֖ךְ וְיָשֹׁ֣ב לְבֵית֑וֹ וְלֹ֥א יִמַּ֛ס אֶת־לְבַ֥ב אֶחָ֖יו כִּלְבָבֽוֹ׃ The officials shall go on addressing the troops and say, “Is there anyone afraid and disheartened? Let him go back to his home, lest the courage of his comrades flag like his.”  What does it mean when there is no turning…

Deuteronomy 8:4 שִׂמְלָ֨תְךָ֜ לֹ֤א בָֽלְתָה֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וְרַגְלְךָ֖ לֹ֣א בָצֵ֑קָה זֶ֖ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃ The clothes upon you did not wear out, nor did your feet swell these forty years There’s nothing quite like back to school shopping. This time of year, parents are taking inventory and discovering that their children need far more than anyone realized. Thank God kids grow, but…

Deuteronomy 1:26 וְלֹ֥א אֲבִיתֶ֖ם לַעֲלֹ֑ת וַתַּמְר֕וּ אֶת־פִּ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ Yet you refused to go up, and flouted the command of the Lord your God. Moses is hard on the Israelites, and can you blame him? He has been the leader of this troublesome people for forty years and he is tired. Here, at the beginning of his final speech, he…

Numbers 35:11 וְהִקְרִיתֶ֤ם לָכֶם֙ עָרִ֔ים עָרֵ֥י מִקְלָ֖ט תִּהְיֶ֣ינָה לָכֶ֑ם וְנָ֥ס שָׁ֙מָּה֙ רֹצֵ֔חַ מַכֵּה־נֶ֖פֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃ You shall provide yourselves with places to serve you as cities of refuge to which a manslayer who has slain a person unintentionally may flee. Being human means making mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are devastating. The Torah accounts for this reality. The accidental taking of…

Special edition of the Weekly Versewhile Rabbi Rotenberg is at Camp Ramah Darom And just like that, another session at Camp Ramah Darom comes to an end. It always amazes me just how impermanent the structure of this strong and vibrant community actually is. Not even a month ago this camp was nearly empty. Walking around, you didn’t hear the yelling…

Special edition of the Weekly Versewhile Rabbi Rotenberg is at Camp Ramah Darom A staple of the Ramah experience is the camp musical. There are a few things that make the musicals at Ramah special. First, the show is entirely in Hebrew. The kids in the show not only have to memorize their lines and practice their songs, but do so…

  Special edition of the Weekly Versewhile Rabbi Rotenberg is at Camp Ramah Darom Some things never change. As exciting as it is to reach Shabbat, Friday afternoon has its own special celebratory feel. It’s a moment everyone at Camp Ramah looks forward to. Friday lunch is different from every other lunch. Why? Because Friday is, of course, pizza day. Boxes…