A Prayer Amid Gun Violence
Guardian of life, liberty, and the promise of peace, may our nation always merit Your protection.
The Season of Healing
The High Holidays are a time of introspection and self-assessment in anticipation of repentance, forgiveness, thanksgiving and rejoicing. It is a season of healing.
A Prayer for Simchat Torah
“Rejoicing in the Torah” doesn’t require us to find joy in every verse. It doesn’t mean that we concur with every choice made by the people in it.
Limping into Holiness
In December 2005, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, cofounder of the Crips, the violent Los Angeles street gang, was executed by lethal injection, paying the ultimate price for his violent past.
On the Holiness of Shmutz
A young man comes to a rabbi and says, "Rabbi, I would like to study Talmud with you."
"Very nice," says the rabbi. "May I ask what background you have in Talmud?"
"None," says the young man.
"I see," says the Rabbi. "Have you studied the Mishnah, which lies at its core?"
Haazinu for Tots
A guide to help adults learn how to engage young children in a discussion about this week’s Torah portion.
Down Payment on a Debt of Gratitude
My dad died this past summer. It was a good death. He was ninety-five years old, couldn't see or hear very well, and had a heart condition. But he got up every day, bathed and fed himself, took care of his dog, and stayed busy.
The Boundary at the Table: Forbidden Foods and Us
Just now, American society is reexamining the way it eats. Michael Pollan, in his best-selling book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manefesto , advises distinguishing between food and some of the poor imitations for food that we currently ingest (New York: Penguin Group, 2008).
Sh'mini: Your Body is a Temple
Once upon a time in a parallel universe that has yet to emerge, just one year from now, I had-or perhaps I should say, I will have-the most interesting experience: my heart stood still.
Numbers, Stories, and a Long Tradition of Ritual
Parashat Sh'mini -the eighth day; how many of our parashiyot start with a number? This eight comes after seven, of course-seven days devoted to the ordination of Aaron and the priests, who will now take on their full responsibilities in the Tabernacle (the Mishkan).