"Stand Your Ground" Goes on Trial
A combination of "stand your ground" legislation and lax gun laws has led to startling increases in violence and homicides for the states that enact them. As George Zimmerman's trial date grows nearer, a reevaluation of these types of laws is severely needed.
The Torah In Haiku: Balak
Daughters of Moab
Led the people to worship
The Moabite gods
G-d became angry
Until Pinchas took action
More on that next week
Rabbis Organizing Rabbis Act for Immigration Reform in Ohio
Rabbis Organizing Rabbis, a group of activist clergy who mobilize those in their congregations and communities to action, has been fiercely advocating for federal comprehensive immigration reform over the past several months. Read Rabbi Rob Nosanchuk's remarks from a meeting with Senator Rob Portman (OH).
The Fourth of July: Not Just a Day Off
For many in the United States, the Fourth of July holiday brings to mind joyous times of gathering with friends and family, enjoying barbeques, fireworks, freedom (from work), and of course, sales.
Celebrating Our Journeys: My Spiritual Path to Reform Jewish Leadership
Gilda Radner once said, “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Judaism, Homosexuality, and the Supreme Court
Any moment now, the United States Supreme Court is going to decide on two cases that involve same-sex marriage. Advocates on both sides of this issue are anxiously awaiting either a moment of celebration or of despair. Of course, it is possible that they will get neither.
If Anne Frank Had a Gun
I am often asked why Jews went like sheep to the slaughter during the Holocaust. The question falsely assumes it was possible to resist, but Jews failed to do so.
Torah Readings for Rosh Hashanah
The Torah and Haftarah readings for Rosh Hashanah all connect with, and illustrate, one or another of the themes of the holiday. I use the plural advisedly here, because there have been a variety of readings from early on-long before the onset of modernity and the Reform movement.
Mishkan HaNefesh, Rosh HaShanah Morning and Torah Reading Options
The most traditional texts for the Torah reading on Rosh HaShanah morning are Genesis 21 and Genesis 22. In many congregations that observe two days of the holiday, it is most customary to read 21 on the first day and 22 on the second day. Genesis 21 begins with the notion that God remembered our matriarch Sarah and enabled her to have a child. The idea of remembering is tied to a name of Rosh HaShanah in the Bible: the Day of Remembrance. This is the lesson: God remembers us as God remembers Sarah. To paraphrase a very different cultural artifact: “God knows when we have been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.
Torah Cantillation for the High Holy Days
There are many elements which make the High Holy Days a unique experience. Often, congregations swell to double or triple their usual size, the musical settings of even common liturgy are different, and some might alter their dress by wearing either traditionally all-white garments or more formal wear than they would sport on Shabbat. Some congregations even have unique garments to dress their Torah scrolls in white.