Simeon J. Maslin

Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin, a past CCAR president, is the author of several books on Jewish practices, including the recently published ...and turn it again, from which this article is adapted.

How Strange the Way of Providence: The Righteous Are Called Living

Torrah and Kippah

D'Var Torah By: Simeon J. Maslin

Our ancient sages raised two interesting questions about the very first verse of this week's Torah portion, Chayei Sarah. First, why was this portion, which mentions the matriarch Sarah only to tell us that she had died, entitled Chaye Sarah, which means "the life of Sarah"?
Chayei Sarah
Man holding a silver kiddush cup
Passover

Passover: The Mystery of the Fifth Cup

Simeon J. Maslin
No matter how many guests attend our Passover seders, there is always room for one more: the prophet Elijah, for whom we fill an additional cup of wine. But what does Elijah have to do with Passover? Why do we open the door for him? And what has made him one of the most ubiquitous figures in Jewish folklore.

This Is My God

Simeon J. Maslin
Menahem Mendl of Kotsk, one of the outstanding leaders of early nineteenth-century Hasidism, was reared by a learned father who also was an outspoken opponent of Hasidism.