Four Poems for Fathers’ Day
My Mother is at the Bridge Table by Leslea NewmanMy mother is at the bridge table with Loretta, Gert and Pearl, when my father finds his way to Heaven.“Sit down,…
They Lied to Me in Hebrew School: Parasha Shelakh Lekha
Comedian Seth Rogan A couple of years ago, the actor and comedian Seth Rogan caused consternation across the Jewish world, when, in an interview, he asserted that as a student in…
A Psalm of Gerry Mendelssohn
Gerry Mendelssohn, our congregation librarian for 40 years, was honored at our Friday night services last week. When an Englishman wants to write a poem of praise, he writes an…
Shavuot 5783: With Black Fire on White Fire
Rabbi Elliot Dorff tells the story of how he was once on a plane from Boston to Los Angeles when he struck up a conversation with the man sitting next…
Yom Yerushalayim/Jerusalem Day
Shaar Shechem Today is Yom Yerushalayim- Jerusalem Day. Fifty-six years ago today, Israeli forces entered the Old City of Jerusalem. For the first time in 2000 years, the Holy City of…
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Parash Kedoshim 5783
As many of you know last Wednesday was Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, the 75th anniversary of the State of Israel’s birth as a nation. On that day, my class…
What Is Heroism: Some Final Thoughts on Holocaust Memorial Day 2023
Many of our congregants, both in person, and via Zoom attended our moving Holocaust Remembrance Service last Sunday. Before I share some of my thoughts about it, I would like…
Some Final Thoughts For Passover 5783
One of the central rituals of our seders comes right before the meal. We are told that Rabban Gamliel, the first century sage, held that as part of the seder…
Creating Memories at the Seder Passover 5783
What is the main point of having a Seder? Tonight, I want to challenge the idea that the seder held primarily so that we can remember the Exodus from Egypt.…
On the Sabbath Parasha Vayakhel-Pekudai
We all know the familiar proverb, "Time is money." But in many ways, time is not like money at all. One cannot accumulate time; one cannot borrow time; and one…