January 1, 2016 Of all the great theological questions of the Torah, one of the most profoundly simple appears in this week’s Torah portion. After being introduced to Moses and hearing the story of his birth, we find the future leader of the Jewish people wandering the fields with his sheep. It is there that […]

December 25th, 2015/13 Tevet 5776 As you might expect, Jews have had an interesting relationship with Christmas. For much of Jewish history, the challenges between Christians and Jews made the holiday if nothing else, an uncomfortable experience which brought into the open the minority status of Jews in society. Yet over time, and as the […]

It is very easy in this busy month of holidays to be overwhelmed by all of the business of these past few weeks. Even I find myself constantly reviewing the calendar: When does this holiday end? When do services start?   What time is sundown?   And most importantly, what am I having for dinner? There is […]

October 9th, 2015/26 Tishrei 5776 In the beginning, there were only words. From the primordial darkness, the words of creation echoed through the universe, and brought with them separation. Separation of light from darkness, earth from sky, good from evil. One side always opposite the other. But along with this separation, this separateness, relationship and […]

December 18th, 2015/6 Tevet 5776 To bless the new moon at the proper time is like greeting the Divine Presence — Talmud, Sanhedren 42a I don’t know why, but I seem to spend more time looking at the moon in the winter. As I head outside into the cold of night, the light of the […]

December 11th, 2015/29 Kislev 5776 In this week’s Torah portion, we find Joseph stuck in Pharaoh’s prison. The Egyptian leader has been having dreams, yet he and none of his advisors can figure out their meaning, so he calls on Joseph to interpret them. Joseph hears the dreams and says that Egypt will undergo a […]