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Rabbi Joey Felsen

Rabbi Joey Felsen

Rabbi Joey Felsen is the founder and executive director of the Palo Alto-based Jewish Study Network. He teaches at JCCs in Palo Alto and Los Gatos, and is the founding board president of Meira Academy in Palo Alto.

The "Brazen Serpent" sculpture by Giovanni Fantoni, which references a biblical event, atop Mount Nevo in modern-day Jordan. (Photo/Jerzy Strzelecki via Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0)
Posted inTorah

At times, the words of Torah transport us to a different level

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen September 21, 2023
Detail from “The Gathering of the Manna” by James Tissot, ca. 1900
Posted inJewish Life

Manna taught the newly freed Israelites about Shabbat, and freedom

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen August 3, 2023August 3, 2023
a colorful illustration of two men hefting a large branch with a large bunch of grapes on it
Posted inJewish Life

The Torah’s persuasive warning against confirmation bias

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen June 16, 2023June 16, 2023
"The Scapegoat" by William Holman Hunt, 1854. The biblical scapegoat is first mentioned in this week's Torah portion.
Posted inTorah

Don’t expect Judaism to rationalize your bad behavior

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen April 28, 2023April 27, 2023
an antique drawing of a great cloud hovering over the mishkan with israelites worshipping
Posted inTorah

Step aside, Golden Calf. This week’s Torah portion is a lesson in cooperation.

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen March 10, 2023March 10, 2023
"The Fifth Plague" by Gustav Doré, 1866
Posted inTorah

A pre-Pesach lesson on God’s mighty hand and plague No. 5

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen January 20, 2023January 19, 2023
"Jacob Talks With Laban" by Charles Foster, 1897
Posted inTorah

Jacob has a lesson for us: Make sure we get the true story

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen December 2, 2022December 1, 2022
Watercolor of an etrog by Amanda Almira Newton, 1916, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Posted inTorah

It’s splendorous. It’s packed with meaning. It’s the etrog.

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen October 14, 2022October 13, 2022
Activists hold signs calling on President Joe Biden to cancel student debt and not resume student loan payments outside the White House, Dec. 15, 2021. (Photo/JTA-Paul Morigi-Getty Images for We, The 45 Million)
Posted inTorah

Wipe out everyone’s debt? Is the Torah serious about that?

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen August 26, 2022August 25, 2022
“Moses Smiteth the Rock in the Desert,” by James Tissot, ca. 1900
Posted inTorah

So you’ve got this kind of miracle, and this kind, and … 

Rabbi Joey Felsen by Rabbi Joey Felsen July 8, 2022July 7, 2022

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