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Naso

The hand gesture made during the Priestly Benediction on an old headstone. (evilgurl via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Posted inTorah

What the Priestly Blessing teaches us about reinventing rituals for modern times

Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein by Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein May 28, 2026May 28, 2026

The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. NasoNumbers 4:21-7:89 The joyous holiday of Shavuot marks, in important ways, the birth […]

"Samson Puts Down the Pillars" by James Tissot, ca. 1900. The biblical character of Samson is the best known Nazirite.
Posted inTorah

I try to let God walk through every door before I do

by Rabbi Steve Finley June 5, 2025June 5, 2025
Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock on "Star Trek") repurposed the hand gesture used during the Priestly Blessing as the otherworldly Vulcan salute. (Photo/CBS)
Posted inTorah

The priests are gone, but their special prayer still fills me with awe

Rabbi Shana Chandler Leon by Rabbi Shana Chandler Leon June 1, 2023June 1, 2023
"Samson Puts Down the Pillars" by James Tissot, ca. 1900. The biblical character of Samson is the best known Nazirite.
Posted inTorah

The spiritually solitary have a place in the Jewish world

Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein by Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein June 10, 2022June 9, 2022
A person holds a Black Lives Matter flag during the "Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" protest against racism and police brutality, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 2020. (Photo/JTA-Olivier Douliery-Pool-AFP via Getty Images)
Posted inTorah

The Torah has a lot to say about privilege

Rabbi Amy Eilberg by Rabbi Amy Eilberg May 21, 2021May 20, 2021
"Samson Puts Down the Pillars" by James Tissot, ca. 1900
Posted inTorah

Self-flagellation will only get you so far on the path to spiritual growth

Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein by Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein June 5, 2020June 4, 2020
A mosaic in the synagogue of Enschede, Netherlands, shows the hand signal given by priests when they recite the Priestly Blessing, which is described un Naso, this week's Torah portion. (Photo/Wikimedia-Kleuske CC BY-SA 3.0)
Posted inTorah

Sweat the small stuff — or nothing at all

Rabbi Dov Greenberg by Rabbi Dov Greenberg June 13, 2019
The names of lynching victims are inscribed on weathered steel columns that hang from the ceiling at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo/JTA-Ricky Carioti-The Washington Post-Getty Images)
Posted inColumns

When we allow social injustice to continue, we steal from God

Rabbi Amy Eilberg by Rabbi Amy Eilberg May 25, 2018
dylan with harmonica
Posted inColumns, Jewish Life, Torah

‘Forever Young’: A heartfelt hymn of fatherly trust

by Rabbi Aubrey Glazer June 1, 2017June 2, 2017

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