I know a Chasidic story about a woman who was very ill. Her doctors came out of the hospital room to consult with the woman’s husband. “We have done everything we can do, but your wife is not going to make it. We are sorry.” The husband responded, “I know the power of physician to […]

I just read the most wonderful Jewish mother story:I just read the most wonderful Jewish mother story: Sadie Finkelstein lived in an apartment on New York’s Lower East Side for about 50 years. Her son, David, had made it big in the corporate world as a cosmopolitan businessman, wheeling, and dealing, traveling to every corner […]

People are upset. Whichever the political ideology under which one falls, people are upset. No one is happy with the other side, and many not thrilled with their own. I stay puzzled and stuck in the reality that this great nation, founded upon the primacy of the people’s power and rights, should be mired in […]

As I am journaling about our trip, I will make one abbreviated thought about this week’s Torah portion. What we do has significance beyond that which we understand. As I am journaling about our trip, I will make one abbreviated thought about this week’s Torah portion. What we do has significance beyond that which we understand. […]

Lost in the fights over who owns the Bible and how much of it God wrote vs. how much of it man created, some amazing stories get glossed over. Yes, we talk about the patriarchs and matriarchs, but too often, we treat them as iconic paragons of virtue and not human beings with real baggage […]

So, after last week’s commentary, I received good feedback, mostly appreciating my take on Joseph’s approach to his brothers and his sense of forgiveness. One friend quipped, “Wait until next week.” Well, it is “next week.” As this week’s Torah portion unfolds, the plot thickens, especially if you add Midrash (commentary) into the mix. Jacob […]

We teach that Torah has to continue to evolve if it is to stay alive. Torah has done just that over the last two-plus thousand years. As we read the text in the 21st century, we experience it in ways completely unimaginable by our ancestors. If we are to face the contemporary world in the […]

So much news! So many distractions! So few opportunities to engage! I did not make it to the URJ Biennial, but watched the plenary speeches live-streamed, and my colleagues who were there have shared a wealth of conversation on all that happened. First, congratulations to my colleague Rabbi Rick Jacobs and the entire URJ (of […]

I am supposed to be writing this from Boston, at the URJ Biennial convention. Man plans and God laughs. I had a minor health set back (all good now), and I could not go. I was looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues, participating in some dynamic programming, and learning with and from a host […]

When most people think about this week’s Torah portion, they immediately think of Jacob’s wrestling match with God. As God and Jacob wrestle, God proclaims our destiny. We are Yisrael – people who wrestle with God. We are to be a faithful people, which means that we have to pay attention and not blindly accept […]