I was recently brought in to explain “Fiddler on the Roof” to a local school district with almost no Jews. I told them about my family’s story, forced to leave Russia at the turn of the 20th Century to escape…
Torah Thoughts Bo Exodus 10:1-13:16 “Time to Come Home”
Welcome home – Romi, Emily, and Doron! Welcome home – Karina, Naama, Daniella, and Lira! Celebrations have erupted across Israel over the past week, as hostages return to their families and communities. After over 470 days in captivity, finally, finally,…
Torah Thoughts – Vaera – Exodus 6:2-9:35 – “How We Are Known in the World”
At the Martin Luther King Jr. Award Ceremony at City Hall last week, long time civil servant Otis T. Barker received one of the high honors. Surrounded by his three living children, he stood proudly in front of friends, family…
Torah Thoughts – Shemot – Exodus 1:1-6:1 – “The Power of Both a Good Memory and a Good Forgettery”
Rabbi Irwin Tanenbaum used to preach that while it is great to have a good memory, it is even better to have a good forgettery. Being able to shake off the pain and humiliations we encounter in everyday life is…
Torah Thoughts – Vayigash – Genesis.44.18-47.27 – “How we choose to define ourselves”
Before participating in NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, the host Peter Sagal will ask contestants to tell a little about themselves. Most phone-in callers will offer a job title in response, to which Peter will offer a quip depending…
Torah Thought – Vayeshev – Genesis.37.1-40.23 – “The Blessing of a Shooting Star”
The first time I really experienced God. I mean really experienced God. I was at Camp Ramah in the Poconos in the summer of 1982. I was eight years old, just entering fourth grade. Our age-group was woken up by…
Torah Thoughts – Vayishlach – Genesis.32.4-36.43 – “More Information More Anxiety”
One of my fellow chaplaincy residents at Albert Einstein Medical Center in North Philadelphia, always used to quote Rabbi Edwin Friedman, the famous family therapist, as saying, “the more information you compile, the more anxiety you will have.” While I…
Torah Thoughts – Vayeitzei – Genesis.28.10-32.3 – “Why We Matter to One Another”
The first time I attended a Buffalo Bills game a decade ago, it was half empty. The mood in the stadium was apathetic, fans hardly paying attention to what was going on below on the field. After sixteen years of…
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