It feels like we are living in a whirlwind. War rages half a world away. The climate fluctuates once and again. The economy is hardly stable. ICE wreaks havoc in cities across our nation. Hate rears its head in the form of antisemitism, racism, transphobia, and xenophobia. There is bullying...
Once again, missiles are falling on Israeli homes. Once again, our heart is in the east. And – once again – we feel competing emotions deep within us. Since October 7, 2023, I have written once again about cognitive dissonance, the idea that multiple things can be true at the...
Four years ago, Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympic dreams died amid a series of painful events. The most decorated skier in history, she was – according to the experts – guaranteed to come away with a host of medals. After all, she had been winning races all her life, beating competitors older than...
This week we find the first mention of the Ten Commandments in the Torah. These ten teachings have shaped much of Jewish life for generations. They guide our days. They urge us to remember that there is one God, a singular God who took us from bondage to freedom. They...
At services tomorrow night we will mark International Holocaust Shabbat. We will do this as America, a nation we love and choose to call home, challenges the many tenants we take away from that most gruesome episode of our history. Think of the enduring messages of the Holocaust. We say...
This weekend, we will celebrate the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He stood for an America of fairness and justice, an America of opportunity regardless of one’s race or faith or ethnicity. Dr. King positioned himself repeatedly on the front lines in cities across the south, where...
Christmas week poses fascinating and perhaps harsh questions for our people. Do we lean in or out? Do we look away? How do we discuss the holiday when our kids ask about it? What do we make of a national culture so totally consumed with the rites and norms of...
I read the following quote recently, from Karen Hesse, author of the children’s book, The Stone Lamp: Eight Stories of Hanukkah Through History. The quote goes as follows: ‘Sometimes a flame can be utterly extinguished. Sometimes, a flame can shrink and waver, but sometimes a flame refuses to go out....
When I was in rabbinic school, I was assigned this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach. I was to give a sermon on it to the student body, as well as the esteemed faculty, which consisted of renowned rabbis, cantors and teachers. In the portion, we read about Jacob preparing to reunite...
In this week’s portion we read the famous story of twin brothers Jacob and Esau. Though twins, they are hardly alike. Esau is outdoorsy, a hunter, his flesh red and hairy. Jacob meanwhile is meek, inclined to be indoors, studious and understated. With Rebecca’s help, Jacob will usurp the birthright...
