Our guest this week is Rabbi Dan Ornstein, rabbi at Congregation Ohav Shalom in Albany, New York. Rabbi Ornstein is a graduate of the joint program of the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Columbia University School of General Studies, as well as of the seminary's rabbinical school and its graduate school of Jewish education. Rabbi Ornstein blogs at the Times of Israel and his essays are featured monthly at WAMC Northeast Public Radio. He is a contributor to the Mesorah Matrix book series on Judaism, he has served on the editorial board of the journal, Conservative Judaism, and he has published poetry and essays in a number of journals.
This week's Torah portion – Parashat Vayekhal (Exodus 35:1-38:20) – begins with Moses commanding the people of Israel to observe the Shabbat and continues to tell us in great detail about the building of the Tabernacle. Our discussion focuses on the generosity and solidarity the people of Israel display in the building of the tabernacle.
Our past discussions of Vayakhel:
Rabbi James Ponet on the precedence of Shabbat over the building of the tabernacle and on the role of volunteerism in the parasha
Rabbi Jaqueline Mates-Muchin on the change the people of Israel go through in the book of Shemot – from slaves to a people with God in their midst
