Category: Torah

This Rosh haShanah 5782 marked the start of a seventh year sabbatical known as Shmitah. The tradition goes back to the covenant our ancestors made with The One as they first entered the land of Israel after wandering through the desert for 40 years. Shmitah is mentioned in the Torah multiple times. In Exodus, we Read More

From Erev Rosh haShanah 5782: “Whether you are a longtime member or visiting for the first time, we’re so glad you are here. My name is Jodi Kushins and I’m the current chair of this small but mighty kehilah. Our community prides itself on joyfully connecting our contemporary lives with the ancient teachings we have Read More

Jacob de Wit painting from 1737, commissioned for the Amsterdam town hall. It depicts Moshe appointing the seventy judges. Our parsha today is Devarim, the first Torah portion in Deuteronomy. Moshe delivers a speech, or sermon, to the Israelites, knowing that he will die soon. When we first meet Moshe, he is a man of Read More

In her recent workshop with our kehila, Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone shared these words from the poet Rumi: “Moses and Pharaoh are both within you. You need to look for these two adversaries within yourself.”. As we approach Passover, I call on all of us to wrestle deeply with what it means to have both Moses Read More

Tonight we’ll sleep beneath the full Snow Moon. True to its name, the first weeks of this lunar cycle were our snowiest this year. With hope in my heart and my mind on early spring planting at Over the Fence Urban Farm, I pray the next few weeks will be more mild. When the new Read More

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, m’shaneh habriyot .בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם מְשַנֶּה הַבְּרִיּוֹת February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), and here is a prayer, which like all like all things about JDAIM, is perfect for the whole year. This is one of my very favorite Jewish prayers, and one Read More

From the Columbus Jewish News: “Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, known as JDAIM, will be observed in Columbus this February with a pair of virtual events hosted by a group of Jewish congregations coming together to bring about better knowledge and acceptance for those with disabilities. On Feb. 7, families can come together to Read More

Shabbat may be the greatest gift the Jews gave to the world. Without it (and union activists) would we even have a week-end?! This January, when we are all in search of healing — from the traumas of 2020 and the tumultuous start of 2021 — the calendar has given us an BONUS Shabbat. And Read More

 Following are just a few highlights for January to get you started! And as always, if you have programming ideas you want to share or are feeling inspired to lead, please reach out. The KSS Board looks forward to hearing from you! Jodi Jewish, Grassroots, and Local: Organizing for Justice with Carolina Jews for JusticeSunday Jan Read More