Adina Lewittes

Friday March 6, 2026/17 Adar/Shabbat Ki Tisa Shabbat Parah וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם ׀ עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה ׀ מֹשֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֙נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ׃ When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall...

“Forgetfulness leads to exile. Remembrance leads to redemption.” (Ba’al Shem Tov) Hevre/Friends, Shabbat Zachor. Time to remember the savage Amalekites who attacked us in the desert. To blot out their evil presence and power from the world. A biblical commandment for every Jew to hear and heed. Read just days before Purim when we retell the story of Esther and our people in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) and the vicious Haman - a descendant of Amalek - who tried to destroy us. Sadly, a...

Friday February 20, 2026/3 Adar 5786/Parashat Terumah Hevre/Friends, We’ve all had one. A flash of insight or discovery that brings us much-needed perspective; a revelation or epiphany that solves a serious, even existential, riddle with which we’ve been wrestling. “Aha” moments can happen anywhere, not only atop Mount Sinai where Moses is sitting right now in our Torah reading cycle - although, as a hiker, I agree that summit views can be revelatory.  Years ago my yoga teacher opened our...