Parashat Emor opens with a description of right priestly conduct. In Leviticus 21:17-23, we find a lengthy list of those Kohenim who have a mum—often translated as blemish which disqualifies them fr...Read More
We, American Jews, have a problem. We are often unwilling or unable to see the tremendous diversity of our own community. The truth is: Jews come in all shapes, sizes and colors. There are Jews of eve...Read More
We are pleased to share the last of a series of three reflection pieces on the State of Formation visit to the United Stated Holocaust Memorial Museum this March. Each one is a collaborative piece ...Read More
Originally written for and posted at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger My story starts and ends with a rabbi. The first rabbi is one I’ll always remember fondly, who took the time to look after a f...Read More
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך הועלם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו להדליק נר של שבת Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech haolam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav...Read More
This drash was originally delivered at Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester, Massachusetts on February 13, 2016. Shabbat shalom!!! Thank you so much for having me in your community this Shabbat. It i...Read More
Two major intra-religious events have happened recently in the worlds of both Christianity and Judaism: The Pope’s meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, ...Read More
The last time I went to synagogue was hell. I had just moved to Jerusalem to do a year long fellowship in Jewish Texts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and I had never in my life felt so much am...Read More
The story of the Tower of Babel has always confused me. In it, humans are punished for working collaboratively together. But what kind of god causes confusion and separation, rather than illumination ...Read More
It was Erev Rosh HaShanah, the evening beginning the Jewish New Year. Guests were starting to arrive after services, and my apartment was filling up with the sounds of their laughter and the scent of...Read More