RJ Blog

Two thousand years ago, a rabbi recalled the breadth and depth of what his teacher had given him. Yohanan ben Zakkai remembered his teacher Hillel saying: If all the heavens were parchments and all the trees quills and all the seas were ink, it would still be impossible to write down even a part of what I learned from my teacher. (Sofrim 16:6) I am no Yochanan ben Zakkai, but these words express how I feel about Rabbi David Hartman. I would not be a rabbi if I had not studied with Rabbi David Hartman, the founder and spiritual leader [...]

The storm has long passed, but the horrors it left behind still remain. This heartbreaking new video from Odyssey Networks tells the story of West End Temple in Neponsit, NY, which was badly damaged when Hurricane Sandy whipped through the area. In a walk-through of the water-logged synagogue, volunteers – including the rabbi, president, and staff – are moved to tears when they speak of the congregation’s history and membership. Says Rabbi Marjorie Slome, the temple’s spiritual leader, “This is a very resilient community, and for that I feel grateful.” If you would like to donate to West End Temple’s [...]

by Brad Meltzer During the High Holy Days, we are often asked to think about the content of our character. Have you stopped to think about how you will be remembered when you die? What will people say about you? What will they think? Were you good? Bad? Did you matter? Scary questions, right? They’re the ones I had to face directly when a reporter from the Wall Street Journal saw some charity work I had done and said, “That’s going to be in your obituary.” It caught me by surprise. I didn’t like people thinking about my death.

I was stunned the first time my then-8th grade daughter Rebecca called me on a Friday afternoon to inform me that she wouldn’t be home for dinner. Yes, she knew it was Friday night. And yes, she understood that it was Shabbat. As I hung up, I comforted myself by chalking it up to the beginning of adolescent rebellion. I hadn’t witnessed much adolescent rebellion growing up with my six sisters. None of us would have dreamed of not being home on Friday nights, a time when no one took babysitting jobs or asked to eat at a friend’s. We [...]

After visiting Urban Adamah, I am inspired to change the way I live my life back home.