From the Rabbi’s Desk – Archive

I learned yesterday of the passing of a co-warrior in the battle to turn the world that is into the world that can be. Nancy was only 57 – compared ...

A couple of weeks ago — probably longer when you read this – I was reminded of a major surprise I had a good ten years ago.  Okay, it was ...

Last week I received in the mail something I have never received before.  Most of my friends had received it, some many times.  But not me – until now. I have ...

Last year about this time I wrote about Purim and Shabbat Zachor. The lesson of this Shabbat is perhaps one of the most powerful lessons of our entire history — ...

Coming up in the summer is a challenging and troubling Torah portion — Parshat Korach. We read from the Torah about Korach’s rebellion against Moses and Aaron and his subsequent ...

I recently read an interesting article by Shalom Auslander. While focusing mostly on his mother, his piece also touched on one of the most serious challenges facing American Judaism. Thank you, ...

Not so long ago I had the opportunity to sit in on a discussion of Andrew Schmookler’s work focusing on his Parable of the Tribes.  This parable provides another way ...

Thanksgiving Day is based on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.  While in many ways these two celebrations are very different, both of these holidays encourage the inviting of guests. Judaism’s tradition ...

Those of you who were at High Holy Days Services were introduced to “Halpern’s Rules”.  These rules were developed over years of study of Torah, surrounding literatures and the culture ...

Picture this – Spokane, Washington, October 31, 1952.  A Cowboy and a Ghost ring the doorbell of an elderly couple’s apartment. “Whose little boys are you?” the woman asks. Replies ...

The story of Cain and Abel, the first two children of Adam and Eve, is loaded with strange images and statements, not the least of which is in Genesis 4:7 ...

Sometimes we read very similar things in two places in Scripture, and it is easy to assume that the two have exactly the same meaning – but we all know ...

I am always amazed when I read of someone else who uses one of the very same jokes I use. I am amazed, because they must be incredibly old. I ...

As we witness the heartbreaking escalation in violence throughout the world, Gaza, Syria and the Levant, the Ukraine– just about anywhere and everywhere– we realize how the worship of might ...

A couple of weeks ago we read in the Torah about the very unfortunate incident for Moses that resulted in his banishment from the Promised Land. The Children of Israel ...