When my grandfather, Rabbi Benson Skoff, was in the third grade, he ran for class president. He told me that he ran against a girl in his class and that he thought the gentlemanly thing to do would be to vote for her. And he expected her to do the same. She...

Last month I was lamenting the end of an era as one of the TV shows I enjoyed, “Around the Horn” came to an end after over 22 years on ESPN.  What I particularly loved about “Around the Horn” was that sportswriters from all over the country...

As the Children of Israel leave Mount Sinai, in preparation for their journey to the Land of Canaan, the Torah tells us that: “And they departed from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey.” (10:33) Commentators explain that this means that...

My friend has a little wooden sign in her kitchen that says, “Sorry for the mess, but we live here.” It always makes me smile because it acknowledges that life is often a messy business. Between the kids leaving crumpled up homework,...

I get sinus infections. I often get them more than once a year. By the time my symptoms go from bad to worse, I’m on antibiotics, an antihistamine, a steroid inhaler, a nasal spray, a nasal rinse, an anti-inflammatory, an antacid, and chicken soup....

Let’s take a moment and imagine being there. We have just borne witness to one of the most miraculous events in human history. God has split the Red Sea, and we and 2 million other former slaves have crossed on dry land. Meanwhile, our former masters,...

The Torah portion Tzav is about gratitude. While the Book of Leviticus is the shortest book of the Torah, it mainly speaks to the priests in a language and setting we may have difficulty understanding. We read about ritual observances of an ancient...

So many lessons in Vayikra, “and God called,” the first word. First the lesson in form, the alef in the word Vayikra, “and God called” is writ small in every scroll. Not only does God call with a silent letter (the alef is silent), God calls...

“Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov, mishk’notecha Yisrael.”  How lovely are your tents [people of] Jacob; your sanctuaries [people of] Israel. I often have used this prayer to teach my young students that when visiting a friend’s beautiful synagogue...

Before Moshe relays to the Children of Israel the Divine command to build the Mishkan, the Tabernacle where God can dwell among them, he relays to Israel the mitzvah to keep Shabbat. This is in keeping with God’s commands to Moshe, as we saw in Parshat...

This week, we celebrate Purim. The holiday is a remembrance of a dark tale, filled with trickery, deception, and plots of murder and revenge. The themes of the story are heavy and important. But the celebration of Purim is surrounded by a gauzy cloud...

When I was a kid, my friends and I read a book series called Captain Underpants. In the story, two kids unwittingly transform their school principal into a superhero. By day, Mr. Krupp is a grumpy, intimidating authority figure. By night, he is a superhero...