Aug 28, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
As a new mom, things like news stories, divrei torah from the bima, even conversations with friends and community members hit differently. I can’t help thinking, “what does this mean for my child’s future?” I want my kid to have access to as many opportunities as possible and be loved, accepted, and celebrated by my [more]
Aug 21, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
The high holidays end with a dramatic focus on water in the form of rain. Jonah finds in the depths of water a renewed sense of God’s patience and love. However, for me the holidays begin with water too. Every year I remember a water lesson that I learned thirty years ago in the month [more]
Aug 14, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת־יְהֹוָה אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָה כׇּל־יְמֵי חַיַּי One thing I ask of Hashem, only that do I seek: to live in the house of Hashem all the days of my life. In just two days, we will start reciting this verse as part of the psalm for the month of Elul. It reminds [more]
Aug 7, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
We are thrilled to introduce and celebrate two exceptional individuals who have joined our dedicated team serving on Eshel’s board. Peninah and Yaakov bring with them a wealth of experience, passion, and a shared commitment to advancing our mission of creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBTQ individuals within the Orthodox community. Peninah [more]
Jul 31, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
Tu B’av is one of the happiest days in the Jewish calendar. Mishna Taanit teaches: “Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as joyous for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur, as on them the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in white clothes, which each woman [more]
Jul 21, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
On the ninth of Av, in the year 70, Roman legions broke into the Holy Temple and set it ablaze. We are taught that the second Temple was destroyed due to sinat hinam, the causeless hatred between siblings. Historically, the fractious infighting between different sects of Jews in the first century did indeed set the [more]
