Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

The present Israeli-Palestinian conflict rarely strays from my thoughts. I tend to be a news junkie — television, radio and print media — during more settled times, and these are not settled times. I’m rarely far from the next piece of news regarding the hostages or progress toward a cessation of the destruction from all sides.

And, yet, the myriad of other problems in the world persist. An exhibit at the Momentary Museum in...Read more...

At our Shabbat study, worship and brunch at the house last Saturday, I discussed the Halakhah, the Jewish law, surrounding war. One of the sources I cited was the Jerusalem Talmud (not to be confused with the Babylonian Talmud). The excerpt relating to war reads as follows:

“And one shall stand before Eleazar the Priest, who shall inquire of them by the judgment of Urim before G-d” (Bamidbar/Numbers 27:21). The verse shows that...Read more...

Since Hamas’ barbaric attack on innocent Israelis October 7 and the subsequent response from Israel, I have been inundated with online requests to sign on to letters with different asks — from demanding a full cease-fire from Israel to full-throated support for whatever military action the IDF takes against Hamas in Gaza, and a number of options in between. How do we prioritize release of the hostages in the most difficult of...Read more...

I write this amidst the exhaustion that has come during the most emotional time in my rabbinate.  I’m still feeling emotions of fear and sadness in the pit of my stomach from the horrific and brutal violence and emotional harm inflicted on our Jewish people in Israel just a little over one week ago. I will continue to feel emotionally troubled, as I know, from the time of writing this blog until it is published later in the week, there...Read more...

As I write this during the Yamim Noraim, the Ten days of Awe, I am listening to an interview with three military veterans. These heroes are talking about their fear of the direction our country is moving — a movement toward an authoritarian government and away from our democracy. They see the threat to our democracy as an existential threat to our existence. As such, they have announced an effort amongst our military leaders named...Read more...