Uncategorized

We Must Be the Ark

Posted on October 20, 2023

The deluge is coming. As in the days of Noah, there will be a flood whose purpose is to eradicate evil. Israel has no choice. Before October 7 — Simchat Torah 5784 — one could speculate about the atrocities that Hamas would commit if given the chance. Now we know with a certainty that they Continue Reading »

The View from the Sukkah

Posted on September 29, 2023

In his book, Why Religion Matters, Huston Smith, uses a powerful image to describe the importance of religion in human life. “Imagine yourself in a bungalow in North India,” writes Smith. “You are standing before a picture window that commands a breathtaking view of the Himalayan Mountains. What modernity has done, in effect, is to Continue Reading »

Etched in Stone and Upon Our Hearts

Posted on September 1, 2023

With this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, we can feel a rising pitch of urgency. Moses is coming to the end of his life and is delivering his final words to the children of Israel. So invested is he in assuring the continuity of his people’s mission that he is leaving no stone unturned to Continue Reading »

We Must Not Be Indifferent

Posted on August 25, 2023

One of Elie Wiesel’s most important teachings is that “the opposite of good is not evil, it is indifference.” He knew this because he witnessed it. Having survived the Holocaust, he understood how the silent acquiescence of so called good people enabled the massacre of the six million, how passivity in the face of evil Continue Reading »

Beware the Concentration of Power

Posted on August 18, 2023

This week’s parashah, Shoftim, reads like a primer on the science of good government. And could it possibly come at a more critical time? Across the globe, issues of political power and governance are increasingly contentious and controversial. Populism and authoritarianism are on the rise in Europe and are threatening the very foundations of democracy Continue Reading »

THE MITZVAH OF TZEDAKAH

Posted on August 11, 2023

In the Torah portion of R’eih (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17), the concept of charity, or “tzedakah” in Hebrew, is mentioned as part of the greater discussion about the many commandments and laws that the Israelites were to follow. The term “tzedakah” is often translated as “charity,” but its meaning goes beyond mere charitable acts; it encompasses the Continue Reading »

613 to 3

Posted on August 4, 2023

There can be no better summary of this week’s Torah portion, Eikev from the Book of Deuteronomy, than that found in the writings of the prophet Micah (6:8). “What the Eternal requires of you: Only to do justice, and to love goodness and to walk modestly with your God.” Rabbinic commentary tells us that Micah Continue Reading »

The What, How, and Why of Jewish Life

Posted on July 28, 2023

This week’s parshah can be compared to a Cliff’s Notes for the entire Torah – it starts with Moses beseeching God one more time to allow him to enter the promised land, then quickly moves into a re-telling and elaboration of the Ten Commandments. This is followed by the Shema and Ve’ahavta, and finally concludes Continue Reading »

Korach: You Say You Want a Revolution

Posted on June 23, 2023

In December 2019 I had the good fortune to attend, with many of my Temple Beth-El colleagues, the URJ Biennial in Chicago. One of the sessions I participated in was led by Dr. Andrew Rehfeld, then the newly appointed president of Hebrew Union College. Dr. Rehfeld’s topic was the connection between Judaism and the music Continue Reading »

Shelach Lecha: Two Truths

Posted on June 16, 2023

This week’s Torah portion, Shelach Lecha, from the Book of Numbers, begins with the familiar story of the 12 spies sent out to scout the Land of Israel, The Promised Land. As Rabbi Plaut in his Chumash points out, the titular words, Shelach Lecha could mean “send out” as in God commanding Moses to send Continue Reading »