I grew up mostly in California, and people often presume that I must have spent my whole life out communing with nature. In truth, I was never a big hiker, and I absolutely hated camping and boating. As an adult, I still hate camping, but I have...

Overheard at a store checkout line: “Ya know, I can predict the score of the next Cardinals game before the first pitch.” “You can make a ton of money betting on games. What’s the score?” “Zero to zero.” Let’s...

This week, we will once again be reading the Torah portion of Korach from the Book of Numbers. Named for the anti-hero and rabble-rouser of the tale, Korach — a cousin to Aaron, Moses and Miriam — this Parashah is one of the most intriguing and...

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the opportunity to visit congregants at Jewish sleep-away camps is back in my summer plans. I am excited to have this opportunity return and see our children in such a wonderful, informal educational setting.  When...

“And the Almighty spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand.” (Numbers 8:1-2) All too often, I hear from my students about how “irrelevant and anachronistic”...

What happens when we look at a painting?  We see a familiar world through the eyes and brushstrokes of another, and suddenly it looks different from the way we normally see it. Poetry uses words we know to create unexpected images and comparisons...

Now that summer is upon us, it’s time to get ready for what is commonly considered the best holiday on the Jewish calendar: Shavuot. Coming seven weeks after Passover (Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew), Shavuot begins this year at nightfall on June...

The holiday of Shavuot is almost upon us, and here in Israel the country is opening up steadily day by day, bringing new festivity into the air. This will be the first chance for many families to celebrate a holiday together since Tu Bishvat in February,...

This week, the world over, we will be reading and studying the Torah portion of Bechukotai, which is drawn from the Book of Leviticus. Our weekly Parashah opens with the words: “If you follow My CHUKIM (statutes) and faithfully observe My MITZVOT...

What is Jewish time? I am not referring to our supposed casual approach to arriving at appointments or even at synagogue services. Rather, how do our spiritual teachers understand the nature of time? Rabbi Gershon Winkler teaches that “time...

Lag b’Omer begins tonight (May 18) at sunset. It’s a bit of a weird holiday because it commemorates a number: the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot. Lag b’Omer is also an oddity because there’s no real consensus...