The Dubner Maggid told a parable that speaks poignantly to this moment in the cycle of the Jewish year: A champion marksman was passing through a tiny village when he saw a hundred circles drawn on the side of a barn – and in the center of each circle was a bullet hole. The man Continue Reading »
One of my favorite things about TuBiShvat is that it portends the arrival of spring. When my family and I lived in Israel, we used to go out to the Carmel Forest near Haifa on TuBiShvat to see the cyclamens and the almond blossoms, the first signs of new life. Even in Israel, which is Continue Reading »
A Message for Shabbat & Simchat Torah In 1999 I was invited to write the following commentary for the URJ 10 Minutes of Torah. It was subsequently published in a URJ Press collection of Torah teachings. I share it with you now on the eve of Simchat Torah to lift your hearts and inspire us Continue Reading »
At this time of summer, the days begin to approach the month of Elul, a month of reflection and looking inward, leading into the High Holy days. We are also in the midst of the seven weeks of comfort following Tisha B’Av, when the Haftarah each week is selected from the book of Isaiah, and Continue Reading »
The High Holy Days span the period of forty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur. According to our tradition, this corresponds to the forty days Moses spent atop Mount Sinai receiving the second set of Tablets. Little has been passed down to us about what was happening down below among the people while Continue Reading »
There is no halachah, no legal structure to define Tu Bishvat. For this reason, its position in Jewish practice wavers between two opposing poles, which can be understood by reference to two important Jewish leaders of the 20th Century: the modern orthodox scholar Rabbi Irving Greenberg and the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson. According Continue Reading »
Shalom Chaverim! I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable summer, including some time to relax and escape from the hustle and bustle that dominates the bulk of the year. While we welcome the slower pace of June through August, life at Temple Beth-El is always a beehive of activity. I’d like to take this Continue Reading »
