On a recent vacation to the Midwest, my family and I made a stop at Cedar Point, a large amusement park outside of Toledo. As soon as we entered the park, we noticed several people wearing bright blue t-shirts emblazoned…
Torah Thoughts – Eikev – Deuteronomy – 7.12-11.25 – “The Heroism of Salman Rushdie”
As many of you know, I spent last weekend at Chautauqua Institute co-leading services at the Hebrew Congregation of Chautauqua. Just a few hours before setting out, I received the horrifying news of the attack on author Salman Rushdie right…
Torah Thoughts – Vaetchanan – Deuteronomy.3.23-7.11 – “On the Doorposts of Your Home”
Walking through an exhibit on Senegal in The Field Museum in Chicago, my family and I were surprised to see a familiar Jewish ritual item – a Mezuzah. In an exhibit on door post totems, it was included among a…
High Holy Days -5783/2022
Torah Thoughts – Devarim – Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 – “The Power of Adon Olam”
How many of you have a favorite Adon Olam melody? There are so many to choose from. Indeed, it is the type of song that can be sung to almost any melody from Yellow Submarine to Yankee Doodle and anything…
Shir Shalom & the Environment – What the Supreme Court Decision on the EPA Means
by Joe Morris In late June, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that the existing Clean Air Act only applies to reducing coal plants’ emissions and not mandating their replacement. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the conservative majority: “Capping carbon dioxide emissions at…
Book Review – The Deadly Scrolls – Ellen Frankel
Many Jews will no doubt be aware of Ellen Frankel through her influential The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah, published in 1996. In her latest book she uses her expertise to propel a foray into…
Torah Thoughts – Pinchas – Numbers.25.10-30.1 – “Love in Any Language is for the Good”
The English word “righteous” carries with it both positive and negative connotations. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary it can mean “acting in accordance with moral law,” i.e., being a good citizen. And it can mean “arising from an outraged sense of…
Torah Thoughts – Balak Numbers 22:2-25:9 – “A Room with a View”
Every Shabbat morning, our services at CSS begin with a joyous rendition of a line from this week’s Torah portion: Mah Tovu Ohalecha Ya’akov Mish’ki’no’techa Yisrael, How beautiful your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel(Numbers 24:5). Usually sung…
Torah Thoughts – Chukat – Numbers 19:1-22:1 – “A Coney Island”
In the second season of Netflix’s Russian Doll, Nadia, the red headed protagonist whose grandmother is a Hungarian Jew, says the following about her family of origin: “In our house, a Coney Island is the thing that would’ve made everything…