Rosh Hashanah Day 1 5776: The Courage to Dream
“If you will it, it is not a dream”. This is perhaps the most famous Jewish quotation of the 20th century. It was written by Theodore Herzl, Jewish visionary and…
Erev Rosh Hashana 5776: Listening to our Prayers
In his 2002 debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer introduces us to the mythical village of Trachimbrod, Ukraine, circa 1791. The village has 300 citizens, all of them…
Parasha Ki Tezte — Returning a Lost Object
The Case of the Lost Tefillin I am sure many of us have had the experience of our luggage being lost by an airline. We all know that sinking feeling of…
Parasha Re-eh: Do Not Inquire
All we can be certain of is that he was ten years old when he died. He was a Jewish boy and the grandson of a prominent leader of the…
Parsaha Ekev
It is from this week’s Torah portion, Ekev, that we are taught that we should thank G-d for the food we eat. “When you have eaten and been satisfied,” the…
Prayer against racist violence we recited this past Shabbat at Services
Racist Violence against Houses of Worship Oh people of conscience, Cry out. Cry out against arrogance. Cry out against hatred and anger. Cry out against violence and oppression. For God…
Parasha Shelakh: Asking a Good Question
Isidor I. Rabi, the Nobel Laureate in Physics was once asked, “Why did you become a scientist, rather than a doctor or lawyer of businessman, like other immigrant kids in…
Parasha Be-ha-ah-lo-techa: How to be a Good Father in Law
Do you remember the movie, “Meet the Parents”? It starred Ben Stiller as a prospective son-in-law and Robert Dinero as his father-in-law to be, Jack. Greg, the character played by…
Created in G-d’s Image
We studied the poetry of YehudaAmichai (above) with scholar Rachel Korazimin her Jaffa home. It is wonderful to be back following our nearly two week pilgrimage to Israel. Sixteen of…
Are There Limits to Freedom of Speech?
Not all Parashas, that is, the weekly Torah portions, are equally welcomed by Rabbis – or by congregants! One could say these are to Parashas that we love to hate. …