Eshel Out Loud
News, Views, and Updates from the Eshel Community
Conformity is a Closet
In the process of preparing my d’var Torah last month (read here), I felt like I was grasping at straws to make meaning out of the hypertechnical nature of that portion’s limited plot. Thankfully, there is plenty of dramatic material in this week’s portion. The Israelites are still in the desert after their exodus from [more]
A Student too Eager
Eshel has been working with shuls and schools for more than a decade now on policy issues. In 2018 we encouraged schools to “take the pledge,” a document drafted by an Orthodox high school student and his principal. It promised that when students come out of the closet in high school, the school would not [more]
Census and Consensus
This past week’s Parsha, Badmidar, isn’t really my jam; I tend to gravitate more naturally toward the narrative-based chapters contained in Bereishit and Shemot over the intricately detailed portion of Bamidbar that we just heard; I prefer my Torah spoon-fed to me through colorful stories of fratricide, floods, and famine. So, at first glance, I [more]
Saying Yes, AND
This year, I had the pleasure of attending three spectacular weekends: the Eshel in Israel Parent Shabbaton, the National LGBTQ+ Retreat, and Eshel Parent Retreat. While each is unique in their own way, these Eshel weekends are the crown jewels of our work. Each time we come together for a retreat weekend or smaller Shabbaton, [more]