In the middle of our liturgy, we recall the words spoken by the Prophet Isaiah, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, Adonai tzevaot – Holy, Holy, Holy is Adonai of hosts.” The text also teaches, “Kedoshim ti’h’yu, ki kadosh Ani, Adonai – Be holy for I, God am holy.” So, I asked our religious school what the word “holy” meant. […]

Show of hands – how many of us are tired of the horrific tone of conversation in the world right now? I figured that whatever one’s politics, this is a pretty agreeable thought – perhaps enough for us to build upon in coming back together. I have to admit, though, there are times I almost […]

So, there are places in Torah that create separations between species. We read the commands not to mix linen and wool in any garment, yoke an ox and a donkey to the same plow, combine milk and meat in any meal, and the list goes on. Volumes of texts exist containing scholarly articles on the […]

Torah has no real structure. To look at it, one sees columns of letters in neat rows. There seem to be breaks in between word gatherings, but having seen enough scrolls, I can tell you that sometimes, these spaces barely exist in any visible way. One can see “paragraph” breaks throughout the text, but the […]

I was one of those teenage students who did everything I was supposed to do, but only what I was supposed to do, to get good grades. I graduated high school with honors. I participated in a lot of activities. I also know that my heart just was not in a lot of it. Perhaps […]

When my oldest daughter Corey (now 31 and a mother) was a toddler, she learned to speak in the most effective form of solicitation. Her first sentence was, “Daddy, I love you … want money go shopping.” Instinctively, before making “the ask” she buttered me up. Of course, she then went into my wallet and […]

Torah teaches us that a tremendous amount of energy went into to building the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Over the course of 13 chapters in Exodus, Torah details every aspect of the tabernacle’s creation, training of priests, and dedication to serving God. Over these chapters, we read and re-read the same instructions. Most clearly, this […]

“Your people!” “No, your people!” The great Torah debate happens this week. Moses is atop Sinai while God is carving out the “10 Commandments.” God finishes the work and as the exchange takes place (according to tradition), Aaron and the people down below build the Golden Calf. Moses was gone for 40 days and 40 […]

Moving to the north has brought its share of blessings and challenges. One challenge that I never saw coming (but should have) was that when someone yells, “Rabbi!” they may not be talking to me. In Florence, South Carolina or Lexington, Kentucky, there was a real dearth of Rabbis. The odds were that if someone […]

Torah’s first set of 10 commands happens in the first verses of Torah. Contrary to popular thoughts, we do not have to wait until the Mt. Sinai experience to hear about God’s expectation for the world. God said, “Let there be light.” God expected that light would happen, and it did. Over the course of […]