  On this Shabbat, we enter into the last book of the Torah. We begin the book of Devarim also known as the Deuteronomy.  In Hebrew, Devarim means words and this book consists almost entirely of the final words of Moses, it is his farewell address to the Israelites. Oddly, this is the man who once tried to turn down the job on the grounds that he was not “a man of words.” As we begin Devarim the Israelites are standing on the bank of the Jordan River, poised to cross over and enter, finally, into the Promised Land. Moses stands for the last time before the people he has led for the past forty years, knowing that his days of leadership, and days of life, are coming to an end, and that he himself would not be allowed to enter into the Land. It is under these sad and dramatic circumstances that Moses launches into his final speech. If you knew you had one speech left to give what would it be how would you leave your mark on this earth. What message would you deliver? I imagine you would also remember the fun times and the sad times together. You might even Lament a little.  Shabbat evening we begin the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’av. Tisha B’Av is the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av and it is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar.  On this day, the ninth of Av, a series of major tragedies of the Jewish people occurred including the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem, massacres, pogroms expulsions Tisha B’av is A day that many believe is a day destined for tragedy. On this day we mourn and read from the book of lamentations and we lament. We ask Why? And How  In the wake of the horrific tragedies that we experiencing as a nation, such mass shootings, family separations I take a note from the book of psalms and ask ad matai - how long will this go on? … How long will you feed your people tears as their daily bread, making them drink great measures of tears?” (Psalm 80:4-5).  The end of the book of Lamentations asks God “why have you forsaken us and then pleads for us to be restored, for God to take us back and renew our days of old. Please take this time, this Shabbat, this holiday of Tisha B’av to sit with where we are as a people, where are we as a nation and we too can be restored to the days of old. 

Hineni (Here I Am)

Episode 69: Minutes of Torah Devarim, Final Words, Tisha B'Av and Lamenting

Episode 68: Minutes of Torah: Naso, Forgiveness and Restitution

Episode 67: Minutes of Torah. Kedoshim: We Are Holy Beings

Episode 66: Minutes of Torah: It's Passover Y'all! Time to Clean

The Cloud is a guiding force for the Israelites and for all of us 

Episode 65: Minutes of Torah. Pekudei: Be Strong

Episode 64: Minutes of Torah. Yitro: Revelation

Episode 63: Hineni (Here I Am) - Minutes of Torah: A Hanukkah Story

On November 1, 2018 I gave a talk on Authentic Identities at Elon University, where I serve as the Campus Rabbi. The talk was shortly after the horrible events in Kentucky and Pittsburgh. I shared my story and journey of becoming a Jew and a rabbi. I talked about the racism I face in the Jewish community, antisemitism and our current political rhetoric. I hope you enjoy this special episode. 

Episode 62: Hineni (Here I Am): My Authentic Identity

Hi, I'm Rabbi Sandra Lawson. Welcome to my podcast on Torah, Jewish prayer, and Jewish music. The Torah is amazing and full of wonderful lessons that we can still learn from today.

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Hineni (Here I Am)

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