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, February 6, 2026
This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Yitro, brings us to the threshold of Sinai. Our Israelite ancestors have escaped enslavement, but they are only beginning to understand what freedom really means. As the story continues, we learn that liberation alone is not the ultimate purpose of the Exodus. True freedom, the [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, January 30, 2026
Last Shabbat, Rabbi Oded Mazor shared a powerful teaching with us about the plague of darkness that has stayed with me. The Torah doesn't just describe Egypt being plunged into darkness; it tells us something deeper — that in the darkness, people could not see one another. The verse reads: לֹא רָאוּ אִישׁ [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, January 23, 2026
Recently, I purchased a Google Hub for our kitchen. The speaker is pretty good and it’s nice to be able to simply call out a request and have music fill the room (“Hey Google, play Hanan ben Ari” is a familiar refrain in our house). But the feature I’ve come [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, January 16, 2026
A tyrant and a tyrannical regime oppress a people—stealing their dignity, robbing them of their freedom, ruling through fear and brutality. It happens in so many places, in so many ways. For years, for decades, the people endure. Somehow, they survive. Until finally, pushed to the breaking point, they raise [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, January 9, 2026
This week’s Torah portion, the first in the Book of Exodus, includes one of the best-known moments in the entire Bible. וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה אֵלָיו בְּלַבַּת־אֵשׁ מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה הַסְּנֶה בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ וְהַסְּנֶה אֵינֶנּוּ אֻכָּל׃ A messenger of God appeared to him [Moses] in a blazing fire out [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, January 2, 2026
As 2025 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the profound blessing of synagogue community. What would we do without this place to gather—without a community that offers comfort in moments of loss, joy in moments of celebration, meaning in times of searching, and support when we [...]