A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT BY RABBI MORDY Two peanuts were walking down the street. One was assaulted. Wait, what? This week we begin the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, also known as Leviticus. The Parsha, as well as much of the entire book, surrounds the sacrifices that the Kohanim, the priests, would bring in the Temple in Jerusalem. Seemingly… Read More
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha (Bechukotai) contains some difficult content. In it is something described as, “The Rebuke,” where Moses conveys what terrible events can transpire if the Jewish people do not follow in G-d’s ways. Suffice it to say that there are some pretty rough examples. So much so that we do not call… Read More
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha, Behar, contains various laws including that of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. What I would like to focus on, however, is the name of the Parsha. These laws were communicated to Moses on Mt. Sinai, the spot famous for being where the Torah was given. The Parsha’s name is “Behar,”… Read More
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY The world is an ever more confusing place. It seems that chaos and craziness abound; war, famine and strife are literally everywhere. And yet, we must search for the good. There has to be something out there to zero in on and from which we can take inspiration, right? This week’s Parsha (Emor)… Read More
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha gives us a host of ethical and practical laws. It tells of laws relating to Shabbat, to acting in fairness in business, to honoring one’s parents, to, famously, the cardinal law to “love one’s fellow as oneself,” which is referred to by our sages as the great principle of the… Read More
Look through our 2022 and 2023 Friendship Circle memories and see what we have been up to!
Friendship Circle Tribute Book 2023April 18, 2025
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT BY RABBI MORDY Tonight begins the last days of Passover. These are days that commemorate the splitting of the Sea of Reeds (being approximately a week after the Jewish people were freed) as well as celebrate — strangely, in anticipation of—the future Redemption. Much is discussed about what “the Redemption” means and people tend to have… Read More
April 17, 2025
JOY Program Passover 2025 On Tuesday, April 8 the Friendship Circle partnered with the Branch and Merakey for an in-person gathering focused on Passover. The goal of JOY Programming is to bring together adult members of the community to celebrate Jewish holidays together. During this program, residents of Merakey learned about the meaning of Passover from Rabbi Mordy and enjoyed… Read More
April 11, 2025
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT BY RABBI MORDY While we technically start the holiday of Passover tomorrow night, this Shabbos, known as “Shabbat Hagadol,” the Great Shabbos, leads us right into the holiday. Because it’s a busy day, I’ll try to be as brief as possible. Passover celebrates the Jewish people’s liberation from Egypt. The Hebrew word from Egypt is “Mitzrayim,” which,… Read More
