Rabbi Natasha Mann

If you asked me how long it is until, God willing, I will be a rabbi, I might answer by saying: It is day 1,682 of my studies toward ordination. The likelihood is good that you would find that an odd answer, and not only because I know the exact number of days. When we are counting towards an important date, we usually count down , not up – so it might sound more natural to you if I said, ‘It is 394 days until my ordination.’ However, in this period of Counting the Omer – of counting every day between the second day of Passover until Shavuot – we count upwards. We start at Day 1 of the Omer, and we count every day until Day 49. But why not start at Day 49 and count downwards? If we counted downwards, we would always know how many days until the arrival of Shavuot, the holiday celebrating the giving of Torah. It would be dramatic and effective. And instead, we declare that today is Day 21 of the Omer, and even though we are counting towards Shavuot, we’re left to do the maths ou

This D'var Torah was given to Temple Beth Abraham, Oakland, by student rabbi Natasha Mann. The parashah was Parashat H ayyei Sara. This was the week after the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. Resistance and Healing in the Wake of Tragedy This is a hard week to be at shul. Last Shabbat, just one week and yet somehow an eternity ago, eleven of our brothers and sisters were shot down between the walls of a sanctuary not unlike our own. They were killed because of sinat chinam – baseless hatred. They are no longer with the Jewish family to share their wisdom, and their laughter, and their tears, because of the actions of one sick and hateful man. Their lives have been cut short. I cannot even imagine what this time must be like for their families, for having to bury them, or for the community of the Tree of Life Synagogue, who are reeling from this attack within their walls. This week, I have found myself struggling to explain to non-Jewish friends and loved ones