91快活林

The Whole Journey

Jul 10, 2026 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Masei | Mattot

School has ended, and with it comes a familiar flood of feelings. As my own children close out another year, I feel grateful and a little sad, eager for the summer and already nostalgic for the days that just were. My family lives in Israel, where this year those feelings have been especially layered.Transitions press us up against the fullness of what has been, even as they pull us toward what is coming.

This is exactly where B鈥檔ei Yisrael finds themselves at the opening of Matot-Masei. With forty years of wandering behind them and the land of Canaan visible across the Jordan, they stand at a great threshold. And it is at precisely this moment that the Torah pauses, looks backward, and does something unexpected:

Revolutionizing Belonging: Disability Inclusion and the Future of Jewish Camp

Oct 27, 2025 By Abigail Uhrman | Public Event video | Video Lecture

Jewish summer camps are bright spots of innovation in disability inclusion鈥攅xpanding access, investing in specialized staff, and reimagining what true belonging can look like. But the impact of these programs extends far beyond the individual camper with disabilities.

The Bones We Carry

Apr 18, 2025 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Pesah

Consider the scene: after over 200 years of slavery, the Israelites, at long last, are preparing to depart. They are frantically gathering their belongings鈥攇old, silver, all their earthly possessions鈥攁nd scrambling to prepare food for their journey. In this urgent rush, Moses, rather than attending to the needs of the people and their immediate concerns, embarks on a singular mission: to retrieve the bones of Joseph, fulfilling a centuries-old promise. It begs the question: Why, in the midst of these epic events, does the Torah highlight this seemingly minor detail? What is the significance of Moses’s dedication to this task, his resolute commitment to honoring a promise made generations ago?

Always Something There to Remind Me

Jun 16, 2023 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Shelah Lekha

In the same way that the Yashar projects are physical reminders of camps鈥� inclusive values and powerfully shape camp culture, tzitzit function to remind B鈥檔ei Yisrael of their covenantal relationship with God and encourage them to fulfill the mitzvot that God has commanded. Like camps鈥� newly accessible spaces, tzitzit are ever-present symbols that, at their best, help B鈥檔ei Yisrael recall their most precious values and activate their capacity to realize these ideals.

Parenting Lessons from the Priests

May 21, 2021 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Naso

It is a beautiful moment in this week鈥檚 parashah: God asks Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons to bless B鈥檔ei Yisrael on God鈥檚 behalf. Not only is the sentiment and poetry of the priestly blessing stirring in and of itself, but given its use in contemporary religious life, it carries even further resonance. In Jewish households across the world, parents offer this blessing to their children as part of their Friday night ritual. In my own experience, I have vivid memories of my grandparents and parents blessing me and my sisters with these words, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to do the same for my children each Shabbat. Those few precious moments鈥攚here my husband and I get to hold each of our kids, whisper these ancient verses, and kiss them 鈥淪habbat shalom鈥濃�攈ave become a sacred occasion in our home. I鈥檝e repeated these phrases now over many weeks and years and, at times, with little thought to the meaning behind the words. A closer reading of the text, though, has affirmed for me some essential parenting lessons.

Opportunities in Jewish Time

May 8, 2020 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Emor

I had to think twice about what day it was today. In fact, since we鈥檝e been sheltering at home, there have been many days when I have had to think twice. Like most families with children, I have our daily schedule posted prominently in our kitchen to add some much-needed structure to this time, but still, the days seem to stretch on. When Friday rolls around, though, there is a welcome interruption to our normal rhythm as we begin our Shabbat preparations. Despite the benefits of our carefully orchestrated routine, and there are many, Shabbat offers us a 25-hour window to think, do, and be differently than the rest of the week.

Handling Our Anger

Jul 12, 2019 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Hukkat

Among the many stories in Parashat Hukkat, perhaps the most discussed is when Moses, in response the Israelites鈥� grievances, is instructed by God to 鈥渙rder the rock to yield its water.鈥� Moses, instead, strikes the rock twice with his rod. Water comes forth, but God rebukes Moses for disobeying his instructions: 鈥淏ecause you did not trust Me enough to affirm my sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, there you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them鈥� (Num. 20:2鈥�13).

Guarding Our Tongues

Apr 28, 2017 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Metzora | Tazria

Becoming is better than being.

鈥擟arol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

This week鈥檚 parashah discusses 迟锄补谤补鈥檃迟, a skin disease understood in rabbinic tradition as punishment for lashon hara, evil speech. The public castigation that the metzora suffers is a powerful warning for us to 鈥済uard our tongues.鈥� It was with words that God created the world, and our words have potential to build, create, and sustain life and human dignity, or to be a source of pain and destruction.