Torah Resources: Web Sites

12 Replies
Torah web sites which we recommend.
Not listed in order of preference.
  1. Rabbi Shefa Gold’s Torah JourneysAryae
    This page provides links to Reb Shefa’s commentary on each parsha, each of which is also a chapter in her book by the same name. There are also sound files of some of her chants, which are associated with specific parshiot.

    What we especially like is how she leads us to see each story, each law, each piece of Torah as an opportunity to look inward for the guidance that it offers.

    Wendy
    Reb Shefa has Guidelines for Practice with each parsha commentary. You can order her book, Torah Journeys and In the Fever of Love, An Illumination of the Song of Songs as well as her music CD’s, particularly chants, at her website. There is also a list of her upcoming workshops and chant intensives on the website.

  2. Azamra.
    Reb Avraham Greenbaum
    Aryae
    Parsha commentaries from a traditional Breslov Hasidic perspective, delivered in a way that is very accessible to those of us outside the Breslov world. Reb Avraham Greenbaum reaches out to Jews and non-Jews alike with his writings, based on Reb Nachman’s teachings,” on “Universal Torah” and “Torah for the Nations.”
  3. Chabad.org Weekly ParshaAryae
    Updated each week with the weekly parsha text and commentaries. This web site is a rich source of commentaries on the both the parsha and holidays. There are many rabbis involved, with commentaries that range from simple explanations to the mystical, all from a Chabad perspective. We often find material that we find deep and meaningful.

    Wendy
    I very much appreciate the brief commentaries from various sources under In Depth Parsha Overview with Selected Commentaries. There is also a complete holiday section at http://www.chabad.org/holidays/default_cdo/jewish/Holidays.htm.

  4. RavKookTorah.orgWendy
    I asked Rabbi Yitzchak Marmorstein, one of the foremost experts on Rav Kook today, for his recommendation on Rav Kook’s teachings on the parshiot in English. He directed me to this web site which has Rav Kook’s commentaries on the parshiot, holidays and psalms adapted by Reb Chanan Morrison. There are several teachings on each of the parshiot, so I always find some commentary that is deeply meaningful to me.
  5. Reb Zalman Legacy Project

    Wendy
    This website is devoted to preserving the works of Reb Zalman. What we especially like is this statement describing the vision of the project, “We intend to preserve not only Reb Zalman’s body of work, but also his process of renewal, so that his teachings will not become calcified and exist with meaning primarily for our generation alone. Therefore, with an eye to the future, we are building open access- pathways to primary texts, inviting new commentary, and providing new possibilities for spiritual fellowship.” You can find commentaries on the parshiot, holidays, other topics on the Blog Site. (link) You can also purchase Reb Zalman’s books, CD’s, etc at this website. You can also make donations for this very worthy project on the website.

    Aryae
    I especially like the Reb Zalman Legacy Blog, edited by Seth Fishman, which has excerpts of Reb Zalman’s writings plus transcribed interviews and talks on the parshiot, holidays, Hasidus and Kabbalah, Renewal, and all sorts of interesting stuff.

  6. Velveteen Rabbi
    Rachel Barenblat
    Wendy
    I always appreciate a woman who combines feminism with love of Torah. Aleph rabbinical student Rachel Barenblat writes this blog where there is an archive of Torah commentaries and poetry based on the parshiot. These commentaries are instructive, creative, modern, and have a great deal of heart. Reb Rachel’s blog also has holiday resources and writings about other topics.

    There is also a website, www.velveteenrabbi.com has a ceremony archive which includes prayers, rituals, and life cycle events.

  7. The Academy for Jewish Religion/CAWendy
    This website has a Parsha of the Week commentary by faculty, graduates, and students. I appreciate the variety of the different styles of the contributors. There is an archive from October 2008- June 2009. The current year, Sept 2009- June 2010 has a posting for each parsha very close to Shabbat.
  8. Rabbi David Seidenberg
    Neohasid.org

    Wendy
    This is a very interesting and creative website by Rabbi David Seidenberg. It contains Chasidic nusach, niggunim, and teachings by Chasidic masters. There are liturgy resources and wonderful holiday resources as well as resources on Judaism and ecology. We applaud Reb David’s efforts. You can sign up to be on the email list and receive updates.

  9. The Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach FoundationAryae
    Teachings from Reb Shlomo on the holidays, as well as stories and videos. You can find some gems here if you’re willing to poke around and search a little.
  10. Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo.
    Reb Sholom Brodt
    Aryae
    The web site for Reb Sholom’s yeshivah in Jerusalem contains teachings from Reb Sholom and also from Reb Shlomo.

    Reb Sholom is one of my favorite Torah teachers, learned, humble, skilled and emotionally intelligent at making the bridge between the Hasidic and Renewal worlds. He sends out weekly parsha drashes which are a mainstay of my Torah study and usually find their way onto the Torah Circle Blog.

  11. Rabbi James Stone Goodman

    Wendy
    We very much appreciate Rabbi James Stone Goodman’s poetry which we have included in the postings of the Torah Circle Blog. You can find his writings on the parshiot, holidays, and other topics on his blog on his website. Rabbi James is also a fine musician. You can purchase his CD’s on his website.

  12. Rabbi Miles Krassen
    Gishmey Brachah- Rain of Blessings

    And if you love gematria, this is the site for you!

  13. Rabbi James Stone Goodman

    Wendy
    We very much appreciate Rabbi James Stone Goodman’s poetry which we have included in the postings of the Torah Circle Blog. You can find his writings on the parshiot, holidays, and other topics on his blog on his website. Rabbi James is also a fine musician. You can purchase his CD’s on his website.

  14. Rabbi Miles Krassen
    Gishmey Brachah- Rain of Blessings
  15. Rav DovBer Pinson
    IYYUN

    Wendy
    We first encountered Rav DovBer Pinson on Facebook, and we appreciate his outreach. What first got our attention was Rav Pinson’s short videos of Parshiot
    commentaries: very clear, no wasted words and takes us right to essence. His written teachings continue to delight us. I have included this description about IYYUN, his organization from the website,

    “IYYUN, an organization dedicated to the study and experience of Jewish spirituality, explores the three dimensions of human reality: The Mind, The Heart and The Body.
    IYYUN creates opportunities for people of all backgrounds to deeply examine and understand the intellectual, emotional and physical within themselves in the light of Jewish spiritual teachings and the wisdom of the Torah.
    IYYUN seeks to unify the disparate intellectual, emotional and physical dimensions of the human experience into a complete whole, empowering men and women to realize their full potential and together, build a global spiritual community. ”

    This is a very complete and well done website. You can find online parshiot and holiday teachings as well as many other topics. There are also audio and video teachings and
    a link to purchase books.

  16. Rabbi Gershon Winkler
    Walking Stick Foundation

    Wendy
    I very much connect with Rabbi Gershon Winkler’s teachings about the aboriginal mystery wisdom of Judaism. Reb Gershon makes use of his Orthodox background to create a blend of off the wall humor and profound Torah teachings. He is meticulous about his attributions to our sages, and often highlights lesser known
    teachings concerning the earth and its inhabitants. While his website at this time does not provide specific parshiot or holiday teachings, you can subscribe to
    his newsletter and receive teachings about holidays and various other subjects along with his schedule of workshops and retreats. You can also purchase CD’s and books such as the Magic of the Ordinary on the site.

  17. Rabbi Simon Jacobson
    Meaningful Life Center

    Wendy
    Many of us became familar with Rabbi Simon Jacobson’s Omer counter. His website contains parshiot and holiday commentary as well as classes, a weekly op ed piece, and writings by other teachers. There is also live programing on a variey of subjects.

    Wendy
    This website states, ” The richness of the ancient Jewish tradition of Torah blended with Kabbalah and Hasidsm creates a great dynamic. Come. It is ours to access. Drink and replenish the parched soul”. Rabbi Jonathan Case has included a blog of Torah parshiot that are very interesting and speak to the heart. Some of the postings include Haftarah insights. Also, there is a section of You tube videos by Rabbi Case on the parshiot and some holidays as well as MP3 audiofiles on the Psalms.

  18. JINSIDERWendy
    For those who enjoy a multimedia approach, the JINSIDER website contains videos by many teachers on a variety of subjects including Parshiot and holidays. There are also alot of Jewish culture related videos
    on this site.
  19. American Jewish World ServiceWendy
    We strongly support the work of the American Jewish World Service. So we are pleased to recommend this website. There are commentaries on the Parshiot and holidays by a variety of writers. This is a good site for those who are looking for thoughtful Torah commentaries focused on social action

    For Torah Commentary

    For Holidays

  20. Rabbi Laura Duhan KaplanWendy
    I was delighted to find this website. Rabbi Laura posts commentaries on the parshiot under the heading Philosopher’s Torah. She brings her background as a PhD in philosophy, so the ideas and references are quite interesting yet also reach the heart with everday examples. There are some commentaries on the Haftarah as well. Also on the website are essays on specific prayers, and as a bonus for me, a section called Animal Torah.
  21. Ziegler School of Rabbinic StudiesWendy
    Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies is part of the American Jewish University which is part of the Conservative denomination.You can sign up on their website to receive some fine weekly commentaries from their teachers.

12 thoughts on “Torah Resources: Web Sites”

  1. Wendy Berk

    From Rabbi James Stone Goodman

    Somebody showed me an interesting teaching. About Nachman’s well known: Don’t be afraid (at all). That’s not a great thing to tell a kid who might be sitting alone with dark thoughts. Or a depressed adult (“get over it!” only works in movies, see “Moonstruck” where it goes with a slap). So I went searching.
    I found Nachman’s famous line in its context: It’s about serving G*d and what might get in your way. You might get depressed, R. Nachman said (he was depressed).
    There’s always reason to be depressed and then sometimes there’s just depression without reason. There is a deep sadness associated with existence. That might happen, Rebbe Nachman wrote/said, you will come to the gate or the bridge and the gate will be closed or closing or hard to push through, the bridge narrow. But you go ahead.
    And the Rebbe said/wrote, you will have strength when you need it. If you do your work and make service tops for you and do the inner work and separate yourself from the world of the purely physical, if you get a spiritual program working, all that will work for you when you need it. That’s when he said/wrote:
    And you know, it might get hard. A person will have to pass over a very narrow bridge. And the principle is not to make oneself afraid at all.
    I looked at the Hebrew. He didn’t write/say don’t be afraid. He wrote don’t make yourself afraid, it’s subtle in Hebrew, it’s a verb form that means don’t do it to yourself. Don’t make yourself afraid. There are reasons for fear, don’t add to them. And this is great: The next line. . .
    There is a tree in Ukraine whose leaves take 100 years to grow.
    Time takes time. Find patience. Time takes time.
    It gets better: Find some good in yourself. Attach to it. Strengthen yourself with whatever you can find within, no matter how small, even if it’s itsy bitsy good, attach to it.
    Find your strength.
    That ends the chapter.
    jsg

    Reply ↓
  8. Wendy

    The Maqam Project

    This description is from the New Shul ( in Manhattan) Website. The YouTube short videos are a poetic and musical way to experience the parshiot.

    “Rabbi James Stone Goodman and the Epichorus present a weekly video series, offering a palette of little wisdoms by way of the Judeo-Arabic musical tradition — Maqam. Every Torah Portion is associated with a musical figure called a *Maqam, Arabic cognate to the Hebrew maqom Place.”

    Reply ↓
  9. Wendy

    Daat Elyon

    This is a website by Rabbi Yoel Glick. There are weekly teachings and teachings about holidays using ” the wisdom and rituals of Judaism as a spiritual path that links to God knowledge”. Reb Yoel incorporates teachings from other spiritual traditions. This creates a deep and universal perspective.

    Reply ↓
  10. Wendy

    Romemu

    This is the website of the growing Jewish Renewal Community in Manhattan. You can listen to 15 min commentaries in the form of sermons by Rabbi David Ingber and other guest commentators such as Rabbi Jill Hammer. Also, you can listen to and download music played at the synagogue.
    A really good audio resource.

    Reply ↓
  11. Alan Caro

    Menahem Leibtag from Gush Etzion
    http://www.tanach.org

    Menahem’s systematic analysis of the Torah takes off where Nehama Leibowitz left off. You can subscribe for free to his weekly parashah questions and analysis. Fascinating analysis of Torah portions which relate to the Chagim as well.

    Reply ↓

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