“Love your Neighbor as Yourself.” This is the essence of the Torah, according to Rabbi Hillel, it is at the heart of the Torah, the center of the 5 books, it is the core of this week’s parsha. It is also the key lesson that I have learned from my...

At our senior staff meeting each week, we focus on either the Torah portion or upcoming holiday. This week we asked what is the “moral” of the Purim Story. The story is a challenging one, there is hiding of Jewish identity, ancient Anti-Semitism, and killing of Persians at the end...

Which came first – the hatred or the laws? Last Shabbat morning I stood on the side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge where over 50 years ago police and angry citizens probably occupied that very spot. We discussed civil rights leaders who are depicted on a mural as the students...

In this week’s Torah portion, God tells Moses to go and speak to Pharaoh and the Egyptians and tell them to “Let my People Go!” Moses says, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? I have a speech impediment.” This verse is always striking to me, as it...