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I’m Watching Tennis Instead
It’s the week between the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention and I’ve checked out. That’s not usually my way. Politics have always drawn my attention and been...
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Why It’s Okay That Politicians Flip-Flop
“When Did I Say That?” Countless times I’ve stepped off the bima, and a congregant has come to me puzzled. “Nice sermon, Rabbi.” “Thanks,” I say, waiting for the but. There is always a ‘but’. “But, a...
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Politics and the Pulpit
This past Sunday was claimed by many churches around the country ‘Pulpit Freedom Sunday’. It’s the day that the pastors of these churches have chosen to speak not just of the issues that are...
View ArticleThe War Against Women
While driving to work the other day I heard a woman interviewed on the radio asked about the “Rape” comments of some particular politicians running for office. The reporter asked if those comments...
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Make My Day
The legacy of Abraham is complex and varied, both within and between religious traditions. What does it mean to be a child of Abraham? What is the legacy Abraham leaves behind? There are many...
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Is Freedom A Jewish Virtue?
Are you on the freedom bandwagon yet? Celebrations of the concept of freedom seem to be permeating the cultural-political zeitgeist these days. Stephen Spielberg’s movie “Lincoln,” which tells the...
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Why This Rabbi Does Not Talk About Israel
Last week, my colleagues Rabbis Rebecca Sirbu and Ben Greenberg shared their opinions here about whether rabbis should talk about Israel, and each presented cogent and well-articulated reasons. I was...
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When Rabbis Go to Washington: a response to Yair Rosenberg
A couple of weeks ago, Yair Rosenberg wrote a thought-provoking article in the online Tablet Magazine, entitled ‘America’s Anti-Gun Theocrats: Should rabbis and other clerics engage in politics? Only,...
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The Non-Jewish Rabbi? The Problem of Patrilineal Descent
Two articles posted earlier this week made reference to an individual who had been born to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, but had had an upbringing that compelled her to choose a Jewish...
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So Now What?
As a synagogue rabbi, I feel as if we have been running a religious marathon for the past month. since. After the majesty, power, and spiritual rigor of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, building a...
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The Thanksgiving Nakba
The confluence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah seems to have brought more than the usual rush of madness to Hanukkah, which has become a major holiday in the USA by virtue of its usual proximity to...
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On Civil Discourse
One of the most pathetic (in the original sense of evoking pathos) passages in the Talmud is one (Bava Metzia 84a) which relates the story of two of the great ones among the rabbis, Rabbi Yohanan and...
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America and the Sin of Sodom
“We are not a country that should turn children away and send them back to certain death,” -Maryland Governor, Martin O’Malley. I’m proud of the stance taken by the governor of my state. The plight of...
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Look Both Ways Before Crossing!
As we cross from 5774 to 5775, the Akeida (the Binding of Isaac, which is traditionally read on Rosh Hashanah) tells us to look both ways so we can perceive the fullness of our reality. As he looked...
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The Jewish Duty to Vote
Election Day in the U.S. is coming. How will being Jewish shape your choice whether to vote? This November, Americans will elect a new 435-member House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, 36...
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What Can Zionism Teach Us On Election Day?
Today likely is going to be a rough day for liberals. Election prognosticators are predicting that Republicans will win enough Senate elections to re-take majority control of the Senate. This will give...
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Digging Wells for Generations
Two Israelis were stabbed last week, Israeli military and police response has continued, and leaders within Fatah have begun talking about a third intifada. There’s no rational response to the...
View ArticleWhat Happened to Dinah?
Although we’re a bit beyond the portion, there’s been a lot of social media chatter about Dinah – possibly because of the December airing of a television version of the novel by Anita Diamant. I mostly...
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“Never Again”…Again and Again and Again
Long ago, legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan sang in his gravelly tones, that “the times, they are a-changing.” He was a truth teller in a time of historic social justice activism. Those of us who...
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