Posts by Cyril

Parashat Vaetchanan: The Fewest of All PeoplesJuly 25 There’s a verse in this week’s parasha that seems to make no sense in the context of the Torah. Moses tells the people, quite plainly, that God did not set His affection on them because they were numerous. In fact, Moses says the opposite: “for you are…

Video D’var for B’nai Israel, Boca Raton Shabbat Shalom. This Shabbat has a name of its own: Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort. It takes its name from the opening words of this week’s haftarah from the book of the major prophet, Isaiah:  נַחֲמ֥וּ נַחֲמ֖וּ עַמִּ֑י “Nachamu, nachamu ami” — “Comfort, oh comfort My people”…

A Sermon for Shabbat Hazon — Isaiah 1:18 July 18, 2026 – CBI Boca “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”  לְכוּ־נָ֛א וְנִוָּכְחָ֖ה יֹאמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֑ה We are in the deepest days of summer, and it is supposed to be a time…

Congregation B’nai Israel – July 11, 2026 Often when someone is choosing which passage to read in Torah, there is pause. When we are in Leviticus, do we really want to enumerate the list of sacrifices? When we are in Exodus, do we really want to enumerate all the names of all the tribal heads…

July 3, 2026 – B’nai Israel – Boca Raton In our parasha this week there is a lot of really typical and expected Torah stuff in it. There are the census lists that the community needed to know how many people there were for defense. There are the inheritance laws which were the economic foundation…

We open the Book of Devarim — Deuteronomy — this week, and we find Moses doing something extraordinary. He is not leading. He is not performing miracles. He is not receiving commandments on a mountain. He is talking. Listen to how the book begins…”Eileh ha-d’varim” — these are the words. These are the words that…

They say that when someone speaks their last words, these are always the words that people pay attention to. Moses’ last oration at the end of Deuteronomy is one of the moments.  You can easily imagine the people inclining their ears wanting to glean every syllable.  I’m no Moses, but I am going to take…

In a way, this is the most well-known Naso is the most well-known Torah portion.  In fact, we quote it every week at the end of the service. We slow down for the Priestly Blessing — Yivarechecha Adonai v’yishmerecha — those beautiful words that offer our blessings upon each other. Yet, in some ways it…

Numbers is filled with challenging and inspiring narratives. And sometimes, it is filled with high drama. This week’s parasha is that high drama. You know the story: twelve men walked into the Promised Land. But these were not just any twelve scouts: the were the leaders of their tribes, chosen for their courage and their…

By Ronnie Lovler It was beshert, or quite simply, meant to be.  Rabbi Cy Stanway was looking for a synagogue where he could serve as an interim rabbi in the spring of 2025.   That was exactly when congregants at Temple Shir Shalom were seeking an interim rabbi after the synagogue’s first full-time religious leader, Rabbi Michael Joseph,…