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“If the Ladder is Rickety, Don’t Rely on Miracles.”
Today is the last day of Hanukkah. Much like the spices at Havdalah at the end of Shabbat, which are meant to remind us of the sweetness of Shabbat over the course of the rest of the week, so too does to fully-lit menorah we lit last night is meant to leave us with the…
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What Lincoln Can Teach Us About Hanukkah
As a child I was raised on a steady dose of Pilgrims and Native Americans when it came to Thanksgiving. The story was told and retold come fall, and craft projects at school reflected that theme. As I get older, however, that story seems to have faded from my thoughts as I draw to Thanksgiving.…
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Vanquishing our Goblins
Last weekend we had a wonderful visit from Eric Kimmel, one of the leading Jewish children’s book authors. Eric visited the Timberland Library on Saturday evening, then spent Sunday morning with our Beit Sefer families before concluding his time with a lunch with community members. For a tradition that loves storytelling, Eric continues that tradition…
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Come as You Are
Recently you may have heard about the Pew study of American Jewry, which revealed many interesting details and trends among Jews. I’ve been slowly digesting both the report itself and the numerous commentaries written analyzing the report and its implications. In short, the report shows that many Jews identify strongly with Judaism and Jewish community.…
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Thanksgivukkah! (The Powerpoint)
For my community I summarized some of the calendar and astronomical issues that leads to the confluence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah this year. Here is the powerpoint I used… Thanksgivukkah!
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“Does a Zombie Rabbi Say Kaddish for Itself?”
“Does a zombie rabbi say Kaddish for itself?” This was the tongue-in-cheek observation from my son, fresh from his bar mitzvah, as we discussed Halloween. Would an undead rabbi recite the prayer for the dead for himself? Building on the trend that seems to have taken over public entertainment, I was musing about combining popular…
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Take Me Out…With a Story
Last week I traveled to Philadelphia to attend the board meeting of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, to which I was elected last March. I’m honored to serve my association, and that service brings me back east twice a year. While my schedule permits me only so much time to extend my trip either on the front end…
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