Amy Goldman ('90) Chair, Board of Directors In addition to her current position, Amy (Kahn) Goldman is an alumna of the Class of 1990; sister of three alumni; mother of four alumni; and has been an active community volunteer and committee member for many years. In  Parshat Shemini,  the long-awaited  Mishkan  is finally inaugurated. It was a day of supreme joy and spiritual elevation, culminating in a miraculous moment as a divine fire descended from  shamayim . But in the midst of this awe-inspiring scene, tragedy strikes: Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon  HaKohen , bring an  eish zarah —a “strange fire”—and they die instantly before  Hashem .   Immediately thereafter, we encounter one of the most hauntingly powerful verses in all of  Tanach : “וַיִּדֹּם אַהֲרֹן” – “And Aharon was silent.” ( Vayikra  10:3)  Not “he wept.” Not “he cried out.” Simply silence.   What kind of silence was this? Was it shock? Resignation? Accept...

Rabbi Yaakov Green ('98) Head of School Throughout my life, and through my years of teaching, I have encountered many who feel bored by the weekly  parshiot  that relate the laws of sacrificial offerings. They seem esoteric in detail and outdated. Unrelatable. I never felt that way, even as a precocious teenager looking for causes and points to argue. I have always seen these wonderful  parshiot  as deep poetry, meant to be understood on both a practical level – for when sacrifices were offered and will once again, someday soon, be offered – and on a metaphoric and metaphysic level – what can we glean? What deep insight and profound truth must be locked in these words and in these rituals that make them timeless and relevant?   In  Parshat Tzav , we encounter the deeply meaningful laws of the  korban todah , the thanksgiving offering. What captures my heart most about this  korban  is the requirement that it be fully consumed by the end of th...

Boaz Kahn 2024-25 Maimonides Fellow We spend much of our lives, especially in our youth, aching with uncertainty as we try to find our place in the world. While we are all capable of learning and applying various skills, what we truly seek is meaning in what we do. We long to feel called to fulfill a unique role, rather than simply settling into whatever opportunities arise. This, Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks  zt’’l  teaches us, is the message of the first  pasuk  in  Sefer Vayikra : וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר ה׳ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר.   Rabbi Sacks points out that the two clauses ויקרא אל משה and וידבר אליו seem redundant. He explains that they serve different purposes: וידבר אליו conveys the transmission of details, instructions, and tasks, while ויקרא אל משה represents a deeper calling—a personal mission. For Rabbi Sacks, who once considered becoming an economist, lawyer, academic, or even a rabbi in the United States before dedicating h...