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From Loneliness to Belonging (Erev Yom Kippur 5785)
The story of Noah is one of those stories that as kids is really fun and exciting, and then when you read it as an adult, it sits much more heavily on the heart. Noah is a great story, the stuff of legend. God decides to destroy the world after witnessing humanity engaging in evil…
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7 Thoughts Since October 7 (Erev Rosh Hashanah 5785)
This was a hard sermon to give, primarily because of all anger and pain and fear wrapped up with what is happening in Israel and Gaza and the region. This is less a coherent and comprehensive statement than a collection of thoughts, a cumulation of things I have been reflecting on in the past year.…
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Eleh Ezkerah: These I Will Remember
This is my interpretation of the traditional Yom Kippur martyrology. Moving away from specific individuals and the idea of martyrdom, this liturgy brings to mind all those who have died under unjust circumstances. אֵלֶּה אֶזְכְּרָה וְנַפְשִׁי עָלַי אֶשְׁפְּכָהEleh ezkerah venafshi alay eshpechah. These I will remember and pour out my soul. I will remember all…
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Destruction and Conflict: Then and Now (for Tisha B’Av)
In a few days, the Jewish community will mark Tisha B’Av (“the ninth of Av”), a day on our calendar of mourning and commemoration. The historic events at the center of the observance is the destruction of the First Temple at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple at the…
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Earthrise and Earth-wise
You are probably familiar with the famous photo “Earthrise,” taken in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission to orbit the moon: The photographer of that image, astronaut William Anders, died recently when the small plane he was piloting crashed in the water near the San Juan Islands. While I had seen the photo many times,…
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“Thus Shall the People Be Blessed”: An Ancient Prayer for Today
Ironically there is not much by way of prayer in the Torah. The Israelites cry out to God for liberation; Moses prays for the healing of his sister Miriam. And in this week’s portion of Naso we have the Priestly Blessing, the three-line blessing that the ancient priests would recite over the people. It is…
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Finding Albert Johnson
A century ago today, one of the most restrictive immigration measures in US history was signed into law. The bill, known formally as the Immigration Act of 1924 but also as the Johnson-Reed Act, closed the door to immigration for all Asians, and instituted a quota system that severely limited immigration from Central and Eastern…
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In Adam’s Line
When we look for a focal point of ethical teaching in the Torah, we don’t need to look much further than Leviticus 19, a section of the Torah known as the Holiness Code that is found in this week’s Torah portion Kedoshim. In it God says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” and…
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Is This Passover Different From All Other Passovers?
As we move into Passover this coming week, our attention will naturally turn to the events in Israel and Gaza. Indeed, this has been our reality as we have moved into any Jewish celebration or space over these past six months—each holiday, each gathering feels overshadowed by the horrible events happening thousands of miles away.…
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Rabbi 360 