A Torah was released from Barnes-Jewish Hospital in early 2016 and sent to Israel for treatment.After at least 50 years in the hospital, the scroll was in bad shape. The ink and parchment had degraded to the point where it could no longer be used.“A...

I spent the year of 1976-77 as student in Jerusalem. There I was introduced to the oud, the double course, 10- or 11-string ancestor to the lute, the microtones that distinguish the music of the eastern Mediterranean articulate on the fretless neck of...

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,...

The Israelites still are in the Wilderness. They still are preparing to inaugurate usage of the Mishkan/Dwelling-place, the portable wilderness Sanctuary or Tabernacle. Our Torah portion opens with these words: “The Eternal spoke to Moses as follows....

In Naso, we learn about the laws of the Nazirites, individuals who vow to live a certain portion of their lives with a heightened attention to holiness. I have long been fascinated by this phenomenon, most notably because as part of their vow, the Nazirites...

In my teens, when I first started thinking of becoming a rabbi, I spent a summer shadowing several rabbis in St. Louis to get a sense of what they did every day and to try and imagine whether I could ever stand in their shoes. By the end of the summer,...

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tissa, begins with a census. Moses is instructed to count the number of men available to be conscripted in the event of the need for self-defense against any enemy forces that might be encountered during their wandering...

What’s the most important part of Passover? Matzah? Wine? Haggadah? Aunt Tilly’s gefilte fish? Freedom from slavery is awesome. But despite the lines of the Haggadah song “dayenu,” the freedom would not have meant very much without the Torah....

Sometimes my daily rounds in skilled and assisted facilities can be a little discouraging but not for the reason you might think. I see some amazing individuals who make the most of their time and years. They read, play cards and visit with others. They...

Many years ago when I was a hospital chaplain providing pastoral care to Jewish patients and residents of all of the local hospitals and nursing homes in the Denver area, I met a young woman in a locked psychiatric unit who had attempted suicide.  I...

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are something that I have been looking forward to for some time. The competition and sporting feats are intriguing and exciting to follow, but what also draws me to be a big fan is the “Olympic Spirit.” Every four...