Common Ground: Our Place in History, Our Place on Earth I recently visited “Ezrat Yisrael,” the egalitarian section of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. As an Israeli tour guide, I have had hundreds of opportunities to stand on the Roman stones below and share stories about the Jews who walked there 2,000 years ago — […]
Excommunicating Extremism The seed from which has sprouted the Jewish extremism that legitimates Jewish terrorism in Judea and Samaria is to be found, in many ways, at the end of this week’s parasha. Phinehas (Pinḥas) takes a spear in hand and appoints himself prosecutor, judge, and executioner all in one. How, then, does that extreme […]
Masorti: Diversity at the Center Last week, I took part in an unusual journey with the Gladstein Fellows, participants in a program at The Jewish Theological Seminary for developing entrepreneurial leadership for small communities, along with leaders of Masorti Olami. Twelve rabbis came from the US, along with lay leaders and donors. We set out […]
Responsibility Stands at the Center On June 15, 1970, an event took place that is known as “Operation Wedding.” A group of Jews and their friends attempted to steal an airplane to fly it out of the Soviet Union to Israel. The attempt failed. Perhaps it was doomed to failure from the beginning. The participants […]
The Light We Reflect We read at the beginning of Parashat B’ha’alotcha: “’Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand [menorah].” ~ Numbers 8:2 The seven-branched menorah is the quintessential Jewish symbol, older even than the Star of David. […]
Seeking Psalms on the Radio … Songs of yearning for peace used to fill the Israeli airwaves from the 1950’s through the 90’s. No longer. We have new songs of sacrifice, of patriotism, and of love, but not of peace. Discussion of military defense, especially after October 7th, makes sense. But absent from our consciousness […]
“You are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” ~ Mishnah Avot 2:16 For three years, our country has been going through a profound shakeup: the threat to its democratic character, and then harsh wars — not only at our nearby borders, but rather a continuing campaign […]
Every Breath We Take In tough times we ask, “How can we go on while the world trembles?” With each breath we take, there is a quiet invitation to bring the Divine Spirit into our lives. We learn to choose—not to be drawn in by every dark thought, but instead to turn away from it […]
The Holiness of Intent We conclude the morning Tachanun prayers with a beautiful melody and the words “Protect the Holy People … Israel.” Does the text indeed indicate that there is something inherently “Holy” about Jews? According to many rabbis the sin of Korach and his fellow conspirators is that they considered themselves inherently “holy” […]
From Memorial to Remembrance, Day to Day, Between Zachor and Yizkor I wonder. What do I remember? What will we recall? The Midrash (Sifra, Behukotai) says: “How, then, do I fulfill ‘Remember’? – That you utter it with your mouth.” Repeat with your mouth – alter with your mouth. “Alter”, make “other” – make an […]