-
What Animal Sacrifice Teaches Us About Economic Equity
We might not expect to find a statement of economic equity tucked into the description of animal sacrifices in the book of Leviticus, but that is exactly what we find in this week’s Torah portion. Having completing the book of Exodus last week with a description of the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary that will serve…
-
We Are Angry
I’m not deeply into the superhero genre, but I saw many of the Marvel movies with my sons and there has always been one scene about the Hulk that always stood out to me and I think about often. The lore of the Hulk is that a scientist named Bruce Banner was experimenting with “gamma…
-
A Jewish Prayer for the Day of Remembrance
Today is the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, signed on this day in 1942 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, establishing the Japanese internment during WWII. I am still incredulous that I did not learn this history growing up back east. As Jews, this shameful part of American history should be resonant, both because of the fear…
-
“Fiddler on the Roof” and the Conditionality of Jewish Acceptance
I watch “Fiddler on the Roof” at least once a year, usually on Christmas Day when my congregation partners with our local independent cinema to show the 1971 classic. The film, an adaptation of the Broadway musical which is an adaptation of short stories of Sholom Aleichem, tells the story of Tevye, a dairyman in…
-
Thou Shalt Not Lie. Except…
When we come to this week’s Torah portion, I always think about the scene from The Godfather, Part II when Michael Corleone tells his button man Al Neri that he doesn’t want anything to happen to Fredo, his brother who betrayed him, while their mother is alive. Once she dies, however, the story takes a different turn.…
-
The Power of Not Accepting One’s Situation
Dear friends: I appreciate all those who follow me here and read my writings. I have recently started a Substack, and have been posting there as well. I am considering moving all of my posting to that platform, so I invite you to subscribe to my blog over there https://rabbi360.substack.com/ Thanks! The story of Joseph…
-
We Are Living in Sodom
It was already two weeks ago in our Torah reading cycle, but I can not get the story of Sodom and Gomorrah out of my head. In Genesis 18 we read how God says, “the outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave!” (v. 20) and vows to destroy them.…
-
The Mountain is Over Our Heads: Kol Nidre 5786
My sermon from Yom Kippur this year. I forgot to post it here until recently! I don’t know where you are getting your news from these days, but one of my go-to sources is the Onion. If you are not familiar with the Onion, it is a satirical newspaper that has been around for a…
-
Was Noah a Righteous Person?
This week in the Torah we read the famous story of Noah and the Flood. We learn that God has decided that the people on earth are too evil, and therefore they need to be destroyed. Humanity itself—along with the other life on earth—will survive as God instructs Noah to build an ark and load…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Rabbi 360 