Blog

Last week I returned from the Cantor’s Conference held in Israel. While we typically meet in cities around the U.S., every 7 years the conference takes place in Israel. As you might imagine, this conference was very much about October 7th – both the event itself and the aftermath of where Israel is today. While our rabbis have all been to Israel since that ominous day, this was my first opportunity to go.

The trip had many highs...Read more...

To the chagrin of dogs, toddlers, and any others who are sensitive to loud booms, pops and sizzles, July 4th has arrived once again, and with it, the annual spectacle of fireworks displays. To the chagrin of the National Fire Protection Association and other fire safety organizations, though, the individuals who are purchasing and shooting off fireworks are just as likely to be local amateurs as they are trained...Read more...

Prayers for healing are often considered among the more evocative in the Jewish canon. While customary to offer such prayers for centuries, often the language was in Hebrew and was rather formulaic. Thus, while used in progressive congregations, it never gained traction as a piece of text with spiritual resonance. It was the introduction of Debbie Freidman’s Mi Sheberach that spoke to the hopes of a generation of Jews who suddenly found...Read more...

For as long as I can remember, my childhood rabbi, Rabbi Phil Schechter, never referred to God as “He.” “God is not a ‘him’,” he explained. God is God. I grew up hearing God referred to as God, the Eternal One, Adonai, Sovereign, and a host of other euphemisms that removed gender from God’s name and avoided pronouns altogether. In today’s parlance, my rabbi would’ve said that our prayerbook misgendered God. When...Read more...

Sinai is hosting a special event for caregivers called Caring for Caregivers on Thursday, June 13 from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm at Temple Sinai. Sinai’s Hineini (Accessibility and Inclusivity) and Nefesh (Mental Health) Committees partnered together in this effort, motivated by the idea that at some point we are all caregivers, and ourselves, in need of care. And while caring for others can be rewarding, it might...Read more...

Our sages posed the question why Noah was chosen to save the human race and not Adam after his son Cain killed Abel. An interesting answer came from Rabbi Yisroel Meir Lau, a survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp. He believed that Noah was more fit because unlike Adam, Noah had a mother. Someone who knew maternal nurturing and the divine connection that mothers create, could, in turn, care about the human race by modeling the...Read more...

I found the original 10 Commandments. And I’ll share with you where I found them shortly.

Passover is my favorite holiday. I love the ritual, the routine, the creativity; I love the history and the story, even though the two really don’t match up very well. As someone who curiously and contradictorily privileges faith (“There is no proof; you just have to believe!”) and proof (“That seems odd; I’m going to need to see some...Read more...

On Tuesday morning, everybody was having a similar conversation, “Did you see the eclipse? Did you get pictures? Do you know anyone who saw the total eclipse?” In the office people compared pictures, both of the eclipse and of wearing eclipse-safe glasses. What struck me was that having a shared communal experience has become more and more rare these days.

In a world of streaming this and on-demand that, witnessing something at...Read more...

When I was on the cusp of ordination, a retired rabbi came to speak to my class at the Hebrew Union College. He met with us in the sanctuary on the campus and challenged us with statistics: “none of you,” he said, “will stay at your first pulpit for more than 10 years; most of you will be at more than 6 congregations over the course of your career; three of you will abandon the rabbinate.” He then pointed to the eternal light and...Read more...

I spent this last weekend at Family Camp hosted by the amazing organization PJ Library. Leading up to this weekend, however, anxiety plagued me. What were the sleeping arrangements for four families sharing a cabin? Would the kids even be able to sleep? How could we function without our normal routine? How are we going to survive two nights in a cabin with 8 kids under 6 years old? Reading this, you are probably sensing the...Read more...

Since October 7th, I’ve had a really hard time talking about anything other than Israel and antisemitism. Like many of you, I am consumed by the details, the intensity and the sadness of it all. 

Over the course of the past 5 months, when I have diverted my attention from Israel to other topics of conversation, I have felt as though I am betraying my people.  I have felt that given the world’s reaction to October 7th, it...Read more...

They have become ubiquitous, hanging around the necks of those who have visited Israel since October 7. They have replaced other time-honored keepsakes brought back as gifts, a poignant act of, at the same time, solidarity and critique. They were born out of frustration that the narrative of the hostages whom Hamas took on that terrible morning was being lost to the military campaign intended to eliminate Hamas and the network of tunnels that...Read more...

I have never been particularly good at reaching out to ask for help. Saving the psychoanalysis for another time, I have historically tried - often to my detriment - to handle things on my own. I’ve been reflecting upon this personal trait in light of this week’s Torah portion, Yitro.

Early in the parasha, we find Moses “holding court,” serving as the sole judge for the entire community and sitting from morning until evening...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Three different times in the Torah, we encounter passages about the observance of a Sabbatical year, the commandment to let the land lay fallow every seventh year. For thousands of years, there has been an understanding that for the land to maintain its productivity, allowing time for it to rejuvenate is essential. For similar reasons, over time the concept of a sabbatical was extended to include tenured professors and...Read more...

This past summer I was able to be a part of the URJ Camp Coleman counselor-in-training program. It was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I have been going to sleepaway camp for more than half my life so when Camp Coleman...Read more...