“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”...
by Rabbi Scott Shafrin
• Published October 19, 2016
Every so often, I meet a person who I truly think is wise. I don’t mean that they are smart, or a leader in their field, necessarily. I don’t even really mean that they were great students, but you can sense when speaking to a person of great wisdom...
By Rabbi Hyim Shafner
• Published October 13, 2016
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...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published October 5, 2016
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,...
By Rabbi Josef A. Davidson
• Published September 28, 2016
Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, is almost upon us.It is that time of year when we look back over the past year and wonder what the next 12 months will bring. Looking forward raises our awareness of how little it is over which we have any control. As the...
By Rabbi Scott Slarskey
• Published September 21, 2016
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...
By Rabbi Noah Arnow
• Published September 15, 2016
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...
By Rabbi Dale Schreiber
• Published August 24, 2016
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...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published August 17, 2016
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,...
By Rabbi Josef A. Davidson
• Published August 10, 2016
This week we begin the reading of the fifth book of the Torah, Devarim (“Words”), with the parashah of the same name. The format of this week’s parashah as well as the entire book of Devarim is that it is written in Moses’ words and not as if...
Each summer, I have the privilege of serving on the faculty at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI) in Zionsville, Ind. One day this summer, I was working with a cabin as campers prepared to share reflections during...
