Every year, I struggle with the justice of the flood story. What was so bad about this society that the only option available to God was complete destruction, save Noah and his family? Isn’t there always hope for teshuvah, repentance, and realizing...

I love creating. Though I am no artist by any stretch of the imagination, I find deep satisfaction in making something new. The energy we tap into when we paint, draw, build, cook, bake  or make some other creative effort can help us push ourselves...

The intermediate Shabbat of Sukkot has provided our sages with opportunities to help us take stock of ourselves and to be aware of our surroundings as we celebrate the fall harvest. Liturgically, our sages inserted some important attitudes provided to...

Rabbi Mark Joel Mahler wrote, “On [his] first Shabbat in Jerusalem, I was at the  Kotel [Wall] with three other first-year Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion students when Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach walked up to us, wished each of us...

In the title story of Philip Roth’s “Goodbye Columbus,” a young man from Brooklyn’s lower middle-class has been invited to dinner at his girlfriend’s home in one of Long Island’s more posh neighborhoods. Her family has a huge home, and dinner...

“There was once a boy named Pierre, who only would say,’I don’t care!’ Read his story, my friend, for you’ll find at the end that a suitable moral lies there.” —from “Pierre,” by Maurice SendakMaurice Sendak’s famous children’s...

What is justice? What does it mean to be living in a just society? What would that look like? And how do we know when we are acting justly or when we fail to meet that loftiest of goals?From the very first word of this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim...

Beginning with the month of Elul, we are into the Days of Awe ascent. In the synagogue we read the messages of consolation from the prophet Isaiah, leaving the descent of the three weeks of sadness drawn now towards the heights of awe. Where we have...

What do you say to someone when all their dreams are about to be realized? This is the role that Moses faces as the people prepare to enter the land of Israel.  In this week’s Torah portion, Moses instructs the Israelites:  “Take care lest you...

A few weeks back, my wife and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. Along with a profound sense of gratitude for the decades of steadfast partnership, our Yom Nissuin (wedding anniversary) was a time to reflect back on the many changes we have undergone,...

I want to tell you a strange story about oaths and a king eating a live rabbit. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylonia from about 605-562 BCE. He controlled the land of Israel and installed Zedekiah as king of Judah. One day, according to a Talmudic...

If you have been following the news lately, you know that the 2020 U.S. Census has garnered its share of recent headlines. If you’ve been paying attention to our Torah lections for the past couple of months, you’re also aware that more than one census...