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Tisha B'Av -- Is the Time for Sadness Over? #462

08/15/2016 03:52:35 PM

Aug15

Tisha B'Av: Is The Time for Sadness Over?

There is an old phrase - somewhat tongue and cheek - which is used to define most Jewish holidays.

"They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat."

But this Saturday, just after sundown, Jews around the world will observe a different kind of holiday, one which represents the opposite of the above definition.

On...Read more...

The Power of Words and Promises #461

08/07/2016 07:15:13 PM

Aug7

The Power of Words and Promises

On June 21, 1891, an editor with the Chicago Daily Tribune penned a headline which remains an important phrase within American culture.

Talk is Cheap.

At the time, he was referring to a local politician's wild promises.

Over the past few months, as momentum towards the upcoming elections grows, the phrase is invoked as...Read more...

Jusaism: "All You Need To Know" #460

07/24/2016 08:42:35 PM

Jul24

Judaism: "all you need to know"

One evening during my first year of rabbinical school, I found myself struggling with a particularly challenging piece of Talmud.

The Aramaic was difficult. The concept was even tougher.

Unable to comprehend some particularly obscure ancient passage about animal sacrifice, I called my mentor Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz (of blessed memory) and...Read more...

Miriam's Farewell/Photo of Moses' Rock #459

07/15/2016 04:24:32 PM

Jul15

Wadi Musa, Jordan, July 2011
("Moses' rock," upper right) 

 

 

 

Miriam's Farewell 
 
It is perhaps telling of the way the Jewish narrative was assembled that Miriam dies in this week's Torah...Read more...

What Gossip Says About Us #457

07/12/2016 07:24:14 PM

Jul12

What Gossip Says About Us #457

There is a reason, say our Sages, why human beings are so skilled at spreading gossip. It is because we perceive our worst characteristics in the behavior of others.
 
The great anti-gossip rabbi, the Chofetz Chaim (1839-1933), said that our inclination to speak ill of others is often rooted in frustrations within our own lives. 

If you are like most people, part...Read more...

Values Above Rules #456

07/12/2016 07:22:57 PM

Jul12

Values Above Rules #456

Today's Torah: More values, less rules 
 
Do you ever wonder how the history of the Jewish people, or of humanity, will unfold after we're gone?
 
Will we as a people survive? How will humanity resolve the clashes between its major religions? Where will the technological revolution end?
 
What awaits us?
 
Our greatest...Read more...

Ten New Jewish Commandments #455

07/12/2016 07:22:09 PM

Jul12

Ten New Jewish Commandments #455


I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has entered my office and, within minutes, has declared:

Rabbi, I am a bad Jew.

I hate hearing that. It reveals how many Jews have been conditioned believe that the quality of their Judaism is determined entirely by the minutiae of our tradition. What they eat. Whether or not they read Hebrew. Whether or not they take care...Read more...

Judaism, Hunger and the Homeless #454

07/12/2016 07:21:14 PM

Jul12

Judaism, Hunger and the Homeless #454

There is a line in the traditional "Grace After Meals" prayer which in recent years has been deleted by many Conservative and Reform congregations.
 
It is found in the Psalms, and it reads: 
 
"I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen a righteous man abandoned, or his children forced to search for food." (Psalms 37:25)
 
It's an interesting verse. It teaches that a righteous human being will always be welcome at someone's table, and that his or her children will not go hungry in difficult times.
Read more...

Tzedakah Before We Are Asked #453

07/12/2016 07:20:05 PM

Jul12

Tzedakah Before We Are Asked #453

Paying Tzedakah Forward
 
There is a story told in our tradition of a young man whose father suddenly passed away leaving him, at the age of twenty, as the family's sole breadwinner.
 
His father was a mohel -- one who performs ritual circumcision -- and he had taught that skill to his son. But as with any sensitive profession, it was initially difficult for...Read more...

The Torah of Disobedience #452

07/12/2016 07:19:19 PM

Jul12

The Torah of Disobedience #452

Jews with Disabilities: Reassessing the Torah
 
Are there times when it makes sense for Jews to disobey the Torah? Many scholars throughout our tradition have concluded that there are.
 
Jews are often referred to as the People of the Book, but really, that label is incorrect. More accurately, we're the People of Interpretation and Change.
 
Unlike many of our Christian counterparts, many Jews have trouble citing specific Torah passages based on chapter and verse. We are instead a religion of debate and dialogue, using the Torah as a springboard for discussion. Read more...

Tue, July 15 2025 19 Tammuz 5785