Let it Go: A Pesach Reflection
I choose to believe that we all have been enslaved at some point in our lives. Perhaps we have been chained to our fears, worries, and doubts. We may have faced addictions, coped with hardship, and sunk to the lowest depths of all that keeps us down.
Five Fun Facts About Passover
We all know about Passover, that holiday when we Jews whip out our flat, cracker-like matzah, talk about the massive exodus from Egypt, and drink a whole lot of Manischewitz wine.
Big Thoughts over Brunch in Baka
Pre-Shabbat in Jerusalem is digestion time. On Friday mornings in my neighborhood of Baka, the main avenue teems with voracious brunch-devourers eager to squish a weekend's worth of consumption into one extended meal.
Sacrifice: A Poem for the Akedah
Genesis 22:1-24, the story of God testing Abraham by instructing him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah, is known as the Akedah.
Seeking God and Community in Synagogue Life
Reflecting Back and Projecting Forward: A Look at the Music of Our Shabbat Services
Just as God's relationships with key characters in the Torah (e.g., Moses, our forefathers and foremothers) are unique, so are our relationships to Jewish music vastly different in the way we each respond, as sounds vibrate within us and echo through our souls.
Havdalah Square
A few weekends ago, I brought 20 congregants, mostly of the teenage variety, to New York City for a "Jewish New York" experience.
Why ‘Princesses: Long Island’ Doesn’t Work
The debut season of Bravo’s reality show Princesses: Long Island has finally come to a close and I think it’s pretty safe to declare it a disappointment.
"When We Get There": The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
[Editor's Note: Rabbi Jacobs gave the following address on Saturday, August 24, 2013, at the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.]
Chametz: It's Always in Our Lives
I really struggle with my Passover preparations each year. I am always busy, busy, busy, and I have trouble finding the time to do the rigorous cleaning that I’d like to do.