In this week’s Parasha, Chukat, the Israelites are faced with two major blows to their community: the deaths of Miriam and Aaron. When Miriam dies, the Torah tells us “there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together...

In this week’s Torah portion, Korach, we witness a type of politics to which we American Jews have become accustomed. You see, Korach feels that Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership has become entrenched, that it is rife with elitism and nepotism and that...

Hidden away amid the famous story in this week’s Torah portion of the spies sent to scout the land of Israel, and tucked behind the suspense and drama of false testimony, communal wailing and the punishment of 40 years wandering the desert, we find...

People often ask me how I chose to be a rabbi. For many, if not most, the decision to lead a life of religious service is at least a little odd. “There must be a story,” a neighbor of mine said recently.Often, however, my story is a letdown. Making...

When I was a very young rabbi in my first position as B’nai B’rith chaplain to the Mayo Clinic system’s hospitals, I met a woman from a Hasidic community during my rounds one day. As we were talking, she gave voice to a crisis in faith. As...

Parashat Emor opens with a list of laws and regulations that outline differences between the Temple Priests and the rest of the community: The priests must mourn differently, marry differently, treat their bodies differently and fiercely guard the ritual...

Our Torah portions this week are the double portions of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. Parashat Kedoshim contains, arguably, the most well-known verse in the Torah – “Love your neighbor as yourself; I am Adonai” (Lev. 19:18). Sometimes known as “the...

As a child, I remember hearing the familiar refrain, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me.” Even in my youth, I knew this was flawed. The ways we interact with one another and the words we use matter deeply, a lesson that...

It was Tuesday, Sept. 23, 1997, when I received the call from my father that my beloved mother had finally succumbed to her metastatic lung cancer. At our congregation in Chattanooga, Tenn., I was deeply involved in preparations for the High Holy Days,...

Over the past many months, we have been on a journey together. We transitioned from the month of Shevat to Adar, changing our outlook to one of happiness and rejoicing as we prepared for the celebration of Purim. As we say, “mi she’nichnas Adar marbim...

It starts with a command: Tzav. Same root as mitzvah. Here, though, there is an extra urgency. The voice of the Talmud came to me in my morning meditation. Extra urgency, Tzav, hurry! Do this thing.What thing? Lift up the ashes, thus says your Torah....