Grand Plan

Last week, I reflected on the transition out of Pesach, the struggles and the strengths. And a week later, I am still grappling with it. I found some consolation and meaning in the fact that Rosh Chodesh Iyar falls this week, on Friday and Shabbat. The very first Rosh Chodesh Iyar, the first time the Jewish people marked this new month after Yetziat Mitzrayim, also occurred on Friday and Shabbat. At that moment, Bnei Yisrael were encamped in a place called Marah. Marah, mar, means bitter....

We have just come out of Pesach. After all the preparation, the Seder, the family time, the conversations, the effort…there is often a quiet question that follows: Now what? We carry so much with us out of Pesach. Memories.Emotions.Moments of connection.Maybe even some tension. A sense of meaning… but not always clarity about how to hold onto it. And then comes Parashat Shemini. Shemini is a surprising Torah portion. It contains very different elements: the completion of the Mishkan and the...

As we are in the final stretch to Pesach, I want to share one more thought to impact you. We all have more than one name. In addition to the name we were given at birth, we acquire names as parts of our identity: Daughter.Brother.Parent.Grandparent. Each name reflects a different part of who we are.A different role. A different responsibility. A different relationship. Pesach is the same. It is not just one holiday.It has four distinct names, and each one reveals something significant about...

As Pesach approaches, it’s easy to get caught up in the details. We all do.The food. The timing. The pressure to get everything “right.” But the Seder was never meant to be perfect. It was meant to be powerful. And for grandparents, it carries a unique opportunity. Here are five things every grandparent needs to know to make the Seder meaningful: 1.Your role matters more than you think The Seder is built on storytelling and memory. Take a moment to reflect: What do you remember about your own...

When people hear that the Torah portion Vayikra is about korbanot, animal sacrifices, many assume it must be one of the hardest parts of Torah to relate to modern life. After all, what could ancient sacrificial rituals possibly teach us about being grandparents today? But when we look a little closer, something remarkable emerges. The Hebrew word korban does not actually mean sacrifice in the sense of loss. It comes from the root karov, meaning to come close. The entire system of korbanot was...

Many grandparents wonder what truly stays with their grandchildren. Is it the gifts we give?The stories we share?The time we spend together? This week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel–Pekudei, offers a quiet but powerful insight. As the Israelites build the Mishkan, the Torah repeatedly adds one word when describing the people who participated: heart. The artisans are described as wise of heart.The donors are called generous of heart. The Torah could simply have praised their skill or their...

There is a moment in the Torah that feels almost unbearable. The people have just stood at Mount Sinai. They heard the voice of God. They witnessed revelation. And then… the Golden Calf. It is not just a theological failure. It is a relational rupture. Trust is broken. The covenant feels shattered. In spite of the excruciating pain, the Torah does not end the story there. Instead, Hashem teaches Moshe the 13 Attributes of Compassion (Yud-Gimel Middot Rahamim). These words become some of the...

The image we were given was wrong. We often speak about Jewish continuity as a chain of generations, one link after the next, passing the story forward. It is a beautiful image. But this week’s parasha, Tetzaveh, offers a completely different model. When the Torah describes the breastplate of the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol, it tells us that it is held by: שַׁרְשְׁרֹת זָהָב chains of gold but they are not simple link They are braided work מַעֲשֵׂה עֲבֹת. Not separate.Interwoven.Stronger...

Parashat Terumah is ninety-six verses about building the Mishkan. It is the next step in the freedom story. After leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah, the people are invited to create something. Not to escape, not to survive, but to build. To take gold and wood and fabric and intention and create a space in relationship with the Divine. We might expect the Torah to focus on the holy vessels. The golden, glowing Menorah. The Holy Ark. The sacred centerpieces. Yet half the verses of the Torah...