Over this past holiday season, I found myself reflecting on the image of an apple and how it can be used as a tool for reflection, growth and learning. Each piece of the fruit reveals a different aspect of how we can grow in this coming year: the skin,...

The story of Noah demands that we consider the possibility that our behavior can have a major impact on how the world treats us. Human beings were corrupt and violent, and as if the heart of the world was crying volumes of pain, it rained continuously...

“I wish I could begin again.” The man sitting across the table from me in my study years ago held my attention with an intensity that I recall as if it was today. He was wracked with guilt and regret, and came to my office less for “confession”...

This Shabbat, we read Ha’azinu, the second-to-last portion in the Torah. This Torah portion is written in two narrow columns like a poem or song and is often referred to as a song. But why does the Torah, a book of history and law, end with song?The...

Moses spoke to Joshua, his successor. He told him a couple of things but what I remember most is the phrase chazak v’ematz: Be strong and courageous. I loved it when Moses talked about courage. He was one of the few who did.Moses said not to be afraid,...

The Middle School students of the Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School had studied historical events that precipitated struggles for racial equality in the 1960s. They explored literature capturing divergent perspectives on lived experiences and the...

Ok, I’m going to come out and say it. I hope no one will think less of me.  Here goes.  I don’t like fruit salad.  I don’t like how all the fruits get mixed up and taste generically fruity.  I like my fruits individuated. I like my apples to...

What are the Jews? Not a religion, for there are many who would say they are Jewish but are not religious. Not a nation, for a nation is identified with its land and shared culture, and Jews have not had a land for most of their history and do not share...

The Book of Deuteronomy really could be called the Book of Departure, as the Israelites are about to cross into a new land. It is called D’varim in Hebrew. It means the Book of Words, or Things. It also is referred to as the Book of Admonishment because...

The parashah begins with the clue-word, va-et-cha-nan — and I entreated or I implored or I prayed — who implored? Moses implored God at that time, saying such and such.I perched on the text, just there, with the first word, because it’s about Moses,...