Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, Ph.D.

Rabbi Aaron Panken, Ph.D. is the president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Hospitality: Can We Do Better?

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, Ph.D.

Biblical stories often form prototypical frameworks that define and shape later Jewish behaviors. The hospitality of Abraham and Sarah in Parashat Vayeira , for example, becomes for later commentators the quintessential moment that defines how Jews ought to welcome their guests.

Finding Unity in a Jerusalem Bomb Shelter

Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, Ph.D.

When the siren sounded, the Rolling Stones' tortured 1969 track "Gimme Shelter" popped into my head, oddly enough.

That haunting song offered a stunning reminder of the endless horrors of war, reawakening a sleepy world with a vivid musical picture of human