Leann Shamash, at The Blogs

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Mar 22, 2023, 11:53 PM

The book of Vayikra is not shy. It enters into our skin, into our bedrooms, into our homes and into our relationships. As a religious school director for years, these Vayikra parshiyot were often the portions for children's springtime...

Mar 10, 2023, 8:16 AM

LIght and dark
Image by Leann Shamash

Parshat Ki Tisa speaks about the stone tablets of the law which are broken by Moshe in a fit of anger. Once again the people disappoint and behave in a way that is unseemly in the eyes of God....

Feb 23, 2023, 6:00 AM

Be My Sanctuary

"And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." Exodus: 25:8 (Translation from Sefaria) וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ _____________________________________________ Parshat Terumah brings us to a new and very different portion of Sefer Shemot. For the next few weeks...

Feb 15, 2023, 9:45 PM

Ta- Sh’ma! Come and Listen!

Parshat Mishpatim seals the covenant for the Israelites but equally important, the Parsha begins to lay out laws for the people to live by. These laws range from property law, to laws that support the powerless and laws that...

Feb 8, 2023, 8:05 PM

Sinai Pianissimo

Parshat Yitro is the last of the action packed Parshiyot of Sefer Shemot. In it we read of the giving of the ten commandments and the preparation required in order to witness such a catalysmic event. In addition, the...

Feb 6, 2023, 6:42 AM

I am a Tree, too, My Friend

I am a Tree, too, My Friend A poem for Tu B'Shevat, the new year for the trees. Written with gratitude to our silent, rooted companions, who enhance the world around us. Never take trees for granted. Look carefully at them as...

Feb 1, 2023, 6:54 PM

The crossing of the sea is the pivotal experience of the Exodus, perhaps only comparable to receiving the law at Sinai. Hollywood has helped the power of our imaginations to visualize the crossing. The Israelites find themselves on the...

Jan 25, 2023, 7:20 PM

We Are The Players of Parshat Bo

In Chapter 12 of Shemot, in Parshat Bo, the text travels with us far into the future. Even as primary events of the Exodus have not yet occurred, we are told that this will be a holiday to forever...

Jan 22, 2023, 11:30 PM

This is a poetry post for the completion of Masechet Nedarim, which is the 14th volume of Talmud that we have studied in Daf Yomi. The current cycle of Daf Yomi began three years ago, at the beginning of...

Jan 18, 2023, 4:51 PM

Hardened Hearts

Image by Leann Shamash

In Parshat Va'era the Egyptians are introduced to the might and the power of God through the ten plagues which are introduced consecutively, each producing much misery. At each intersection of dialogue and plague the text emphasizes that Pharaoh's...

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About Me

After a career in Jewish education, Leann Shamash is the author of the blog Words Have Wings, which addresses the parsha of the week through poetry.

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