Rabbi Lauren Tuchman

Tag: Jewish

  • Parashat Vaera 5779

    Written as part of my work as Ruach Avodah for Washington, DC. This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Va’era, the second Torah portion in the book of Exodus opens with a divine encounter between Moses and God, in which God tells Moses that God has heard the cries of the Children…

  • Chanukah 5779

    There is a short passage in the Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 21B in which the rabbis are debating and discussing some of the specifics around lighting the Chanukah menorah. One of the questions they ask is, do we begin Chanukah by lighting all eight candles in the chanukiyah and then decrease…

  • A Modern Midrash On Leah

    Author’s disclaimer: Please note that what follows is a modern, exploratory and creative midrash, centering on Leah Immeinu’s narrative in Parashat Vayeitze which was originally written in 5777, was subsequently amended in 5779 and at the time of your reading may not necessarily reflect my current thinking and approach. In…

  • A Modern Midrash on Rebecca and Isaac

    Author’s disclaimer: Please note that what follows is a modern, exploratory and creative midrash, centering on the events in Bereshit/Genesis 27, which was originally written in 5777 and does not necessarily reflect my current thinking and approach. In this midrash, I seek not to offer an absolutest reading, but instead…

  • On Deception and Its Consequences: Parashat Toldot 5777

    I wrote this drasha originally in 5777 (November 2016). When I read the story of Yaakov stealing Esau’s blessing from their father, Yitzchack in this week’s parsha, Parashat Toldot, I am filled with a wide array of often conflicting emotions. I feel a profound personal connection to Yitzchack, understand his…

  • The Sfat Emet on Sukkot

    This piece was originally written in 5777/2016. The Sfat Emet has many teachings about Sukkot which intersect well with his description of Yom Kippur as being like a mikvah. We are required to dwell in the Sukkah for the seven days of the holiday of Sukkot (as well as Shemini…

  • Or HaMeir on Bereshit

    This piece was written in 5777/2016. In his commentary on Bereshit, the Or HaMeir refers to two of the earliest Jewish mystical concepts—the notion that the Torah proceeded everything and the notion of a Ma’aseh Bereshit consciousness. When we think about the creation story, which has been interpreted and reinterpreted…

  • The Sfat Emet on Yom Kippur

    This drasha was originally written in 5777. One of the most beautiful teachings I have encountered about Yom Kippur is from the Sfat Emet. The Sfat Emet uses the symbology and metaphor of a mikvah to talk about what Yom Kippur is and how it functions. Yom Kippur is this…

  • High Holidays Disabilities Inclusion Best Practices Webinar for Jewish clergy and educators

  • ELI Talk: We All Were At Sinai: The Transformative Power of Inclusive Torah

    Rabbi Tuchman delivered an ELI Talk We All Were At Sinai: The Transformative Power of Inclusive Torah in which she offers a new paradigm for understanding the religious import of including all within our sacred spaces.