Boundaries, Not Walls A people is born! Tens of thousands of slaves are called to demonstrate: to slaughter a lamb, to smear its blood on the doorway of their home, and to roast it whole. This action is also an expression of their readiness to leave their familiar home and set off for the unknown […]
The Never Ending Story The Jewish tradition, to me, is a living, breathing path — not a closed book but rather the setting for an ongoing discussion. The tradition is not a canonized collection of answers, but a living, ever-renewing journey. Even as far back as the Torah, we encounter creativity: interpretation, debate, and moral […]
Strong Identities, Strength in Diversity The Torah teaches us the principle that it is great “to love your neighbor as yourself.” This teaching emphasizes mutual affection and respect and is essential for fostering a truly diverse society. Strengthening our personal identities through the lens of religious faith plays a vital role in this process. Religious […]
A Time of Transition Between Light and Bloom Between candles that burn out and the light that remains in the heart, Winter stands halfway along its path, and the imprint of Hanukkah still drifts across the windows. Yet already the pulse of a new soil is heard: the buds of Tu BiShvat whisper beneath the […]
This is The Way (?) … “Something within you will tell you: Continue … on your way.” Have you ever been asked, “What does it mean to be a Conservative Jew?” Since my path crossed and merged with the Masorti (Conservative) movement decades ago, I have been asked this question frequently. One of my teachers […]
Hanukkah: Agony, Peoplehood, and Promise Megillat Antiochus, recounting the Hanukkah story, tells of the Seleucid decree to ban Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and circumcision. This was intended to weaken the Jews and punish them for following their distinctive ways. Those practices are portrayed as the foundation of the Jewish people. Circumcision and Shabbat express peoplehood and […]
Rising to the Challenge of Mighty Waters In the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service we hear the words: “the thunder of the mighty waters”, describing God’s greatness. Beyond the sound of the “mighty waters” and the “breakers of the sea” … “YHWH is majestic on high” (Ps. 93:4). But when I hear these words I […]
Lift Your Eyes … From Your Screen “I will praise God with my life.” – Psalms 146:2 Not only prayer or mitzvot — life itself can be an act of praise. I think of this every Sunday when my iPhone tells me how much time I spent staring at its screen in the week prior. […]
The Language of Your Soul In the coming weeks, each weekly parasha begins with a dream. During the month of Kislev (in the northern hemisphere) we experience a decline in our energies, and lights. We withdraw inward. The external hibernates; the internal awakens. One of the characteristics of human consciousness (as opposed to AI) is […]
The Main Thing Is … To Hope “Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.” ~ Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, To Heal a Fractured World (page 166) Rabbi Sacks’ words, said years […]