Category: Uncategorized
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In Support of the Washington Voting Rights Act
A new legislative session, and a new opportunity to give testimony. This week I represented the Jewish Federation and the Faith Action Network in support of the Washington Voting Rights Act at a committee hearing. Text is below, click here for video link. Chair and members of the committee, my name is Rabbi Seth Goldstein…
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Good Translations. Or, Another Reason Not to Fast on the 10th of Tevet
Thursday was a minor fast day on the Jewish calendar: the 10th of Tevet. Minor in this case means that it is a sunrise to sunset fast, as opposed to the major fast of Yom Kippur, which is a full 25-hour fast. The themes, though, are not minor: it is a fast day because it…
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Time to Make Your Hanukkah Resolutions
This post originally appeared as part of the Rabbis Without Borders blog on My Jewish Learning. You can read the original post here. This week we welcome in the celebration of Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights. Marking an ancient military victory of the Jewish population over the ruling Greeks, Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting…
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Here Comes That Loser Dreamin’ Joe #letsthrowhiminapit
There is a lot with which I do not agree with our current President. We have different approaches to policy and leadership. He has taken many actions, in his personal life and as our President, that I find highly problematic, most recently the move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which turns against…
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“Carpooling with Rabbi” is #TrendingJewish
“Carpooling with Rabbi,” the webseries I created with my former co-worker and friend Kirsten, was featured on a new podcast called #TrendingJewish, produced by my alma mater, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. It’s a great podcast in general, and in our episode, we go behind the scenes about how and why we make our videos! Check…
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Listening to the Hagars of Today: On Sanctuary and Immigration
Our sacred texts are filled with disturbing narratives, and this week is no different. We revisit the story of Hagar this Shabbat as we read parashat Vayera in the book of Genesis. It is a familiar story to us as we just read it a month ago as part of the High Holidays. Our ancient…
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As We Continue Our Journey, We Note What We Leave Behind
Earlier this week I had the honor of giving the d’var Torah at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College/Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, a body on which I hold an ex officio seat as President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. This is what I shared: Thank you. I am honored to…
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Torah tl;dr: “Noah”
Never say never. Listen to the latest episode of my podcast here: 60 Seconds to Wisdom. Short Teachings on the Weekly Torah portion. Suitable for all Who Seek.
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Connecting at the Roots
Two years ago when I was on a trip to Israel and Palestine with the Jewish Council of Public Affairs Interfaith Partners for Peace program, our bus one day pulled up to the edge of the field in the West Bank, near the Gush Etzion bloc of settlements. We got out of the bus, walked…
Rabbi 360 