Author

  • Ilana Kurshan

    Ilana Kurshan teaches Talmud at the CY. She is the author of If All the Seas Were Ink (St. Martin’s Press, 2017) and Why is This Night Different From All Other Nights (Schocken, 2005). She has a degree in History of Science from Harvard and in English literature from Cambridge, and has worked in literary publishing both in New York and in Jerusalem – as a translator, a foreign rights agent, and as the Books Editor of Lilith Magazine. Since October 2020, Ilana has been a regular contributor to Torah Sparks, FJC’s weekly parashat hashavuah blog.

Swaddled By God

Swaddled By God

On the festival of Sukkot, we are commanded to dwell in temporary huts so as to remember the Israelites swaddled by God.
Bright Wings

Bright Wings

Parashat Haazinu is the poem that Moshe sings to the people of Israel before he delivers his deathbed blessing, discussing bright wings.
The Prairie and the Wilderness

The Prairie and the Wilderness

This week we read about Moshe writing down the Torah, comparing that to Little House on the Prairie—the prairie and the wilderness.
Beyond the Sea

Beyond the Sea

Parashat Nitzavim, which we read just before Rosh Hashanah, speaks of the importance of repenting and returning to God after we have sinned.

Secret Sins

Moshe charges the people to renew the terms of their covenant with God before entering the land, necessary for sins committed in secret.
Parents on the Same Page

Parents on the Same Page

Family dynamics, and parents on the same page, are alluded to in the many commandments discussed in this week’s parashah.
No Going Back

No Going Back

This parashah deals with the administration of justice in the land of Israel and the connection between no going back to Egypt.
The Long and Short of It

The Long and Short of It

The Dvar Torah for Parashat Re'eh explores choosing between two paths, the long and the short of it, when the choices are presented.
A Conduit of Blessing

A Conduit of Blessing

In this parashah, Moshe prepares the people for their entry into Israel, extolling the conduit of blessing that they are about to conquer.
Moshe the Mother

Moshe the Mother

In this week’s parashah, we see a depiction of Moshe the Mother as he pleas with God to enter the land of Israel with the ...