Every Friday, as Shabbat approaches, Rabbi Yoshi offers a message rooted in the wisdom of the parasha or our rabbinic tradition — shared not as ancient history, but as living guidance for the world we’re actually navigating together. Thoughtful, timely, and always accessible, these reflections are a reminder that Torah has something real and generous to say about the moments that matter most.
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, March 20, 2026
As a kid growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, March 17 meant remembering to wear something green to school—or risk getting pinched by a classmate. Today, that date carries a very different and far more meaningful resonance for me: it marks the birth of our synagogue’s namesake, Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise. [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, March 13, 2026
Exodus begins in trauma. A Pharaoh comes to power who willfully forgets Joseph, forgetting that one of the Jewish people was the architect of Egypt's salvation.Oppression follows. Then murder.And then, finally, the struggle for liberation led by three remarkable siblings: Moses, Miriam, and Aaron.Struggle and suffering—for our Israelite ancestors, to [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, March 6, 2026
This past Shabbat, we read the Torah verses commanding us to remember Amalek, the paradigmatic enemy of the Jewish people, who attacked our ancestors from behind while they were vulnerable in the wilderness. In Jewish tradition, Haman is understood to be a descendant of Amalek. Over time, however, "Amalek" has [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, February 27, 2026
I still remember my first visit to the Kotel, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, one of the holiest sites in Jewish tradition.It was 1978. We had come as a family to celebrate the b’nai mitzvah of my older sister and brother.Something strange and confusing happened during the ceremony. I saw [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, February 20, 2026
I want to begin with October 7th — that Shabbat morning. I woke up to WhatsApp messages from my daughter and from friends and family in Israel. Confusion. Horror. The numbers kept rising. And suddenly our world was on fire. I know many of you remember exactly where you [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, February 13, 2026
This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shekalim—the special Sabbath that comes just before the beginning of the month of Adar, always a few weeks before Purim. In our portion, we read about the half-shekel tax: an annual contribution that adult Israelites were required to give to support the communal life of [...]