Found In Translation: Weekly Divrei Torah and Sermons from the BJ Rabbis and Guest Teachers

Parashat Ki Tavo | Shira Bodnar, Rabbinic Intern | August 29, 2026

In this week’s D’var Torah, Shira Bodnar, rabbinic intern (Family Life & Learning), reflects on inheritance—what we receive, what is missing, and what we create for those

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Felicia Sol | August 28, 2026

In her Kabbalat Shabbat kavannah, Rabbi Felicia Sol draws on the music of Ishay Ribo and Dolly Parton to reflect on the work of Elul: acknowledging what is broken while r

Parashat Ki Tetze | Rabbi Alex Braver | August 22, 2026

In this week’s D’var Torah, Rabbi Alex Braver wrestles with what it means to love a tradition that is ancient, sacred, and imperfect. Confronting troubling texts in Paras

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Alex Braver | August 21, 2026

Following the frightening disruption at Central Synagogue and the vandalism of our partner community Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem, Rabbi Alex Braver reflects on what it mea

Parashat Shoftim | BJ Rabbinic Fellow Iliana Brodsky | August 15, 2026

In this week’s D’var Torah, BJ Rabbinic Fellow Iliana Brodsky explores what Parashat Shoftim can teach us about the pursuit of justice and the damage done when systems me

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | August 14, 2026 | Rabbi Rebecca Weintraub

In her Friday night kavannah, Rabbi Becca Weintraub reflects on Shabbat as a kind of silent shofar, a sacred interruption that calls us to stop, listen, and ask whether w

Parashat Re-eh | Cantor Dave Mintz | August 8, 2026

In this week’s D’var Torah, Cantor Dave Mintz explores how ritual can transform us through intention, attention, and repetition. Drawing on Parashat Re-eh as we approach

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Felicia Sol | August 7, 2026

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Alex Braver | July 31, 2026

Parashat Ekev | Rabbi Becca Weintraub | August 1, 2026

Parashat Vaethanan | Rabbi Anne Ebersman | July 25, 2026

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Felicia Sol | July 24, 2026

Shabbat Nahamu is known as the Shabbat of Comfort. But this year, many of us arrived feeling anything but comforted. During Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday, Rabbi Felicia Sol

Parashat Devarim | Rabbi Alex Braver | July 18, 2026

The stories we tell about our past shape the future we’re able to build. In his d’var Torah on Shabbat Devarim, Rabbi Alex Braver explores the idea of creating "a usable

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Becca Weintraub | July 17, 2026

Parashat Mattot-Mas’ei | Senior Rabbinic Fellow Joe Blumberg | July 11, 2026

In his d'var Torah on Parashat Mattot-Mas'ei, Joe Blumberg explores what Moses' final act can teach us about building a more just world—even when we know we won't see its

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Senior Rabbinic Fellow Joe Blumberg | July 10, 2026

Parashat Pinhas | Rabbi Shuli Passow | July 4, 2026

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Alex Braver | July 3, 2026

Parashat Hukkat-Balak | Rabbi Shirley Idelson, PhD | June 27, 2026

On Pride Shabbat, Rabbi Shirley Idelson wove together Miriam's story, Jewish tradition, and her own experience to explore belonging, resilience, and how loss can open the

Kabbalat Shabbat Kavannah | Rabbi Roly Matalon | June 26, 2026

In his final Shabbat kavannah as Rosh Kehillah, Rabbi Roly reflected on the mysterious ritual of the red heifer and what it teaches about humility, belonging, and resisti