Rabbi’s Torah Thoughts

As always, on Ha’azinu, Moses’ last poem to the People of Israel, I share a poem.  This one is taken from a Jewish Italian poet named Umberto Saba (1883-1857).  He converted to Judaism as a young man, and then, refused…

Perhaps the strangest commencement speeches of all time began with a few opening remarks given in a high-pitched awkward stutter, followed by the words: “You are all here to listen to a frog.” By frog, he was referring to perhaps…

In the chorus to the hit 1983 song “I’m Still Standing,” Elton John triumphantly announces to the world:  “Don’t you know, I’m still standin’ better than I ever did?/ Lookin’ like a true survivor, feelin’ like a little kid/And I’m…

In looking through the Torah recently, I noticed something subtle but important.  While most portions are relatively easy to find.  Their initial verses are unusual enough that they stand out.  This is not the case with either this week or…

In English, justice can be denied or deferred. We can bring someone to justice or do justice for someone.  Justice is blind and is also poetic, but for the most part it is stationary.  Justice sits on her throne, scales…

There is a wonderful scene at the beginning of a recent episode of Hard Knocks featuring Buffalo Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott addressing the team in training camp.  He shares a story from his college career at William Mary where…

One of the most surprising elements about the new HBO MAX documentary about Billy Joel, “And So It Goes,” is the singer’s Jewish story.  His father’s family only narrowly escaped capture in the late 1930s.  They owned a successful textile…

In preparation for her Bat Mitzvah, Lillie Greene and I took a closer look at the story of the sin Moses committed in the Book of Numbers of hitting the rock to produce water as opposed to merely talking to…

Twenty-five years ago this summer, I sat down with a group of about fifteen people to plan what would become an unforgettable overnight camp. This would be the first overnight camp specifically dedicated to the philosophy of Mordecai Kaplan and…