Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

It is probably no secret by now that Pesach, our Passover celebration, is a favorite of mine (notwithstanding that the dietary restrictions get a little old by the end). Yes, it is a holiday to celebrate our freedom from bondage, a statement that, in and of itself, raises all kinds of questions about the many forms of bondage we potentially face: bondage imposed upon us and bondage we impose on ourselves.

My favorite part of the chag,...Read more...

Beginning the Book of Vayikra/Leviticus in our Written Torah, we are confronted with what is seemingly the least relevant discussion relative to our contemporary sensibility.  Although there are those within the Jewish world who look forward to the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem and the return of the sacrificial cult, no one I know is lining up to bring back, much less perform, animal sacrifice. 

Questions do arise,...Read more...

Wrapping up another Purim celebration this week, a holiday I always approach with some sense of trepidation. I don’t enjoy putting on costumes (although our cats are always in costume, whether they want to or not). The raucous nature of the holiday has been somewhat jarring for me, and I can’t seem to get past the violence of chapter 9 in the Book of Esther.

I did find a new purpose this year in the holiday, however. We speak...Read more...

I am thinking, this week, about growing old, and I am thinking about death. I hasten to add that I am not putting the two together — I am not thinking about growing old as a step closer to the inevitability of death. Rather, I am struck by how some people carry themselves with dignity through both experiences.

Among the events that moved me in this direction was a shiva service I led Sunday night. I saw many familiar faces I had not...Read more...

A short blog this week with a simple message — really a message and a reminder, as much for me as for anyone else. Among the mitzvot we read about this week in our Torah’s recitation of the Ten Commandments is our instruction to remember and keep Shabbat.

My message is not so much an admonition to be strict in observing the halakhically prohibited acts on Shabbat. More than that, it’s the simple idea of honoring this gift from...Read more...