From Our Clergy

שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם
לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֔וֹת כל־זָכָ֖ר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃
Take a census of the whole Israelite community by the clans
of its ancestral houses, listing the names head by head.

 – Numbers 1:2 Bamidbar

Many of us know what it feels like to be “in the wilderness”: moments of transition, grief, doubt, illness, or change. Parashat Bamidbar teaches that holiness is not found only once we arrive at our destination. Holiness is found in how we travel together through uncertain terrain.

The tribes camped around the Mishkan, the sacred centre of the community. Their physical arrangement reflected a spiritual truth: when we keep compassion, justice, and sacred purpose at the centre, even the wilderness becomes bearable.

Perhaps that is the opening lesson of Bamidbar: every person counts, every journey matters, and even in the wilderness, God’s presence dwells among us.

L’Shalom,

Cantor Paula Baruch

דַּאִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֹתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם

If you walk in My laws and faithfully observe My commandments,

 – Leviticus 26:3 Bechukotai

One way to understand Bechukotai, not as a ledger of reward and punishment, is to see it as a call into relationship. “אם בחוקותי תלכו – If you walk in My laws…” The word תלכו, “you shall walk,” suggests movement, process, journey. Our faith is not asking for perfection; it is asking for direction.

The blessings are not prizes handed out at the end of a journey. They are what begin to emerge when a community is rooted in justice, care, and covenant. And the curses are not threats from afar, but what can unfold when we lose our way, when our community fractures, when we abandon responsibility for one another.

Bechukotai reminds us that our task is not to solve the mystery of suffering, but to keep walking, step by step, toward Torah, toward relationship. Because even when the path is challenging, we need not walk it alone.

L’Shalom,

Cantor Paula Baruch

דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them:
You shall be holy, for I, the ETERNAL your God, am holy.

– Leviticus 19:2 Kedoshim

Parashat Emor calls us into the sacred rhythm of Jewish life. In this portion, we move from laws of holiness for the priests into one of the most beloved passages in Torah: the listing of the mo’adim, the sacred festivals and appointed times. Shabbat, Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot are not simply dates on a calendar; they are invitations to sanctify time itself.

What is striking is that in the middle of the festival laws, the Torah inserts the command to leave the corners of the field for the poor. This teaches that true holiness is not found only in prayer or ritual, but in how we care for one another. Sacred days lose some of their meaning if they do not awaken sacred responsibility

L’Shalom,

Cantor Paula Baruch

דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them:
You shall be holy, for I, the ETERNAL your God, am holy.

– Leviticus 19:2 Kedoshim

Parashat Acharei Mot–Kedoshim sits at the heart of the Torah and at the heart of our moral lives. In the aftermath of loss and uncertainty, God calls to Aaron with precise instructions for sacred service. This reminds us that even in grief, structure and ritual can guide us back to meaning. But the portion does not stay in the sanctuary. It moves outward, into the everyday, where holiness is not confined to priests or sacred spaces, but demanded of all of us: “Kedoshim tihyu –You shall be holy.”

For us, living in a complicated world filled with both beauty and brokenness, this call remains urgent. We are not asked to be perfect, but to be intentional—to bring a sense of קדושה, of sacred purpose, into our daily lives. Holiness, the Torah teaches, is not a place we visit. It is a way we choose to live.

L’Shalom,

Cantor Paula Baruch