Reflection on 9/11, 12 Years Later
The world changed 12 years ago, on 9/11/01. On that day, thousands of American lives were lost to hatred and intolerance. Our sense of tranquility…
The Mandatory Optionals of Judaism (Rosh Hashanah Morning 5774)
Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of working at our regional URJ camp, Camp Coleman. For one week I networked with colleagues, taught classes, tutored bar and bat mizvah students and led services. I also cheered at lunch, played water volleyball with counselors and rhymed various camp announcements.
Michelangelo, a German photographer and an Israeli Poet walk into Rosh Hashanah services … (Rosh Hashanah Evening 5774)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Michelangelo, an Israeli poet and a German photographer walk into Rosh Hashanah services …
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The Accademia Gallery is located in Florence, Italy. Founded in 1563 by the Medici family, it is perhaps best known for housing one of the the famous Michelangelo sculpture, David. In 1873, Michelangelo’s majestic work was moved to the Accademia where it stands today.
Now Go and Study (Ki Teitzei)
Back in the first century, Hillel was asked to distill all of Judaism into one sentence. A brilliant rabbi and scholar, Hillel thought about Mitzvot,…
Justice and Justice Again (Shoftim)
Our liturgy teaches us that our words should lead to actions: Let us learn in order to teach … Let us learn in order to…
Preparing to Become Ourselves
It’s time to get ready for the High Holidays. There’s a story of a young rabbi that is furiously preparing for Rosh Hashanah and Yom…
Listening to the Sh’ma (V’etchanan)
Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad – Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. … Our second portion of Deuteronomy,…
Words About Words (D’varim)
If you’ll indulge me in a bit of self-reference, I’m going to use my words tonight to talk about words. God speaks the world into…
Sometimes We Have to Listen to a Donkey (Balak)
This Torah portion has something in common with the movie Shrek. Both feature a talking donkey. … The portion is named after the Moabite king,…
Some Things Just Don’t Make Sense (Chukat)
Our Mitzvot are anything but simple. There are some commandments that we perform at a very specific time, such as the command to honor Shabbat….