Rabbi 360

There is a text from the Talmud, Tractate Eiruvin 13b, that I have been wrestling with of late. The text tells of a debate between those two major rabbinic schools, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, over the question: would it have been better had humans not been created than been created. To think through this…

This past Wednesday was a momentous day on many levels. Probably the greatest feeling was that the chaos, hatred, and fear that had been sown for the past four years being lifted. The sunlight that shone down on Washington was both real and symbolic. One of the framings of Inauguration Day that I found meaningful…

I’m glued to the news today, watching as the Trump presidency ends as it began: with lies and hate. Spurred on by the false narrative of a stolen election, supporters of the President have violently stormed the Capitol in Washington, DC. A day that was supposed to be one of formality and banality in the…

Eight years ago I missed celebrating the turn of the new year at midnight. And not for the regular reason these days as I find myself at midlife not willing or able to stay up late as I had in the past, content to celebrate a “New York New Years” at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time.…

I was honored this morning to deliver the invocation at the virtual swearing-in ceremony for Thurston County officals: In the first century, the Jewish Sage Rabbi Tarfon taught: “It is not your responsibility to finish the work [of perfecting the world], but you are not free to desist from it either” (2:16) That is, in…

This year I crafted eight reflections on the Hanukkah candles, one for each night. I put these up on my TikTok, and also shared to Facebook and Instagram. You can see them on TikTok without an account by clicking here. And here they are, all in one place: Night 1: What is the Miracle? Hi…

When we gather to begin the celebration of Hanukkah next Thursday night, we will perhaps retell the story of the “miracle” of Hanukkah–that a little amount of oil that was only supposed to burn for one day burned for eight. As the story goes, once the Maccabees defeated the Greeks for independence, the Jews found…

We have once again come to a time that we can add the appendage “like no other,” something we have been doing since March. After a Passover like no other, the High Holidays like no other, and a myriad of smaller, more personal milestones, we have arrived at a Thanksgiving like no other. As we…

As I write this, we still don’t have a clear resolution to the Presidential election. This was not unexpected, as we knew that with the increased amount of early and mail-in voting, it was going to take a while to tabulate the results. How long is unclear, and we must remember to have patience. Patience,…