RJ Blog

Earlier this month, this pre-Rosh HaShanah post answered some common questions about the Jewish new year. Now, as we approach Yom Kippur, we present you with the continuation of our High Holy Days FAQ! When does the repentance process conclude? That cleansing comes on the 10th day, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), when our prayers lead us through a recitation of many of the sins to which we, as human beings, are subject. Those prayers also reassure us, however, that we can start again – that it is within our power to do better. Are there special foods on Yom [...]

Imagine someone saying to you, “Your life is a do-over. You’ve got a clean slate.” That’s just what Billy Crystal says to a friend complaining of the waste of his life in the 1991 hit, City Slickers. Most of us, at one point or another, wish we could have that do-over. Well, in the Jewish calendar, God says to us, “Your life is a do-over.” If not exactly giving us a clean slate, the High Holy Days invite us at least to learn from the blessings as well as the errors of our past and start anew.

Of all the parashot in all the Torah scrolls in all the world, that one – Sh’mini – had to walk into my life this year – not once, but twice. Because our Reform observance does not include the extra days added by the Sages for communities outside the land of Israel, we spent an extra week on this portion. Much of the content is focused on kashrut. But the parashah includes as well one of the few narrative events of the entire book of Vayikra (Leviticus) – the tale of the death of the two older sons of Aaron. [...]

It’s been a while since last I posted. Between some personal and professional travel and responsibilities at work, it hasn’t felt like there was a lot of time. But the truth is, I’ve procrastinated – a reversion to an old negative pattern which, for the most part, I’ve been able of late to keep at bay. I think the reason I couldn’t do so this time is because of the topic on which I knew I wanted to focus my next entry – the topic of control. I love control. I thrive on control. I have built my life on [...]

I read with great interest Rabbi Eric Yoffie’s piece on the Huffington Post titled “Religious But Not Spiritual.” In his capacity as President of the Union for Reform Judaism and, especially, after four years of working under his leadership in this organization, I am among those who have had occasion to revel in his intellectual and moral rigor, his passionate voice for justice and his vision for our people – for all people – and of what can and should be expected of us. In the truest spirit of prophetic Judaism, Rabbi Yoffie always presents us with a challenge to [...]

How often is family dinner a spiritual time? In our household, not nearly as often as I would wish. Especially now, with only one child at home, it is so easy for the conversation to devolve into an inquisition of that object of my wife’s and my parental affection and obsession – how was school, what did you learn, is your homework done, do you see how you’re sitting….blah, blah, blah. Add onto that a type-A personality (me) coming home after a day commuting into the city for work, and you have – to say the least – a recipe [...]

After I posted my first entry, a reader asked if the continued process of grieving for Mitch would form the substance of this blog. I reminded of my intention to post about my personal spiritual journey and contemplations. And though losing Mitch has been for the past year the defining reality of my/my family’s life, I am grateful to be able to share a more recent, similarly defining moment in that journey. This weekend, our youngest son, Nate, celebrated becoming Bar Mitzvah. To paraphrase Garrison Keillor, I have often said when asked, “We have three children, all of whom are [...]

Today is the first day of the second year following the death of my son, Mitch. It is also the date upon which I had committed to beginning a blog about my spiritual journey and contemplations. This morning, God provided one of those “Invisible Lines of Connection” of which Larry Kushner writes to prove that this is the right day. I was crossing from Penn Station to my Midtown office in NYC, picking out a different route, as I do each day. Rounding a corner, a young man caught my eye, and then my body in a tearful hug. He [...]