Blog

Rabbi Michael Dolgin, our Genesis commentator for Ten Minutes of Torah, is passionate about community engagement, interfaith and intercultural understanding, and tikkun olam. We caught up with him on how his Torah commentaries speak to some of the critical issues of our time.

Despite being “only” an alternate delegate in the World Zionist Congress, I realized I still had a part to play. Going forward, each of us has a seat to take at the table and a choice to make about our Jewish future.

I told them, "As someone who is in the process of return to Temple Israel, I wanted to briefly share what a meaningful experience I had for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services."

Just as the Torah is at the center of Judaism, the ballot is at the core of our democracy. We would not dream of returning the Torah to the Ark without first dressing it. It helps, then, to think of the outer envelope as the ark and the inner security envelope as our ballot’s Torah cover.

I suppose I’ll have to wait another five years to attend the WZC in real life, but most importantly, I hope that all Jews will continue to have a seat at the table. May this week of deliberations bring unity and, like Noah’s dove, a sign of hope, tikvah, that is enduring.

“I was in NFTY!” a stranger told me, spotting my years-old T-shirt. This feeling of knowing all of us, that we truly did meet at Sinai, or at least a camp, provides comfort during uncomfortable times.

As our students take their steps in the Old City and then head out to Masada where Herod built his getaway and where zealous Jews built a hideaway, I am deeply moved by their reaction to it all.

My wife says the Yiddish-to-English translation of her great-grandfather's diary gave her “a rare opportunity to bring a family legend into the realm of reality.”

The Reform Movement supports a COVID-19 relief bill that will alleviate economic hardship, which puts tens of millions of Americans at risk of eviction and homelessness.