Just as the Torah is at the center of Judaism, the ballot is at the core of our democracy. We would not dream of returning the Torah to the Ark without first dressing it. It helps, then, to think of the outer envelope as the ark and the inner security envelope as our ballot’s Torah cover.

I suppose I’ll have to wait another five years to attend the WZC in real life, but most importantly, I hope that all Jews will continue to have a seat at the table. May this week of deliberations bring unity and, like Noah’s dove, a sign of hope, tikvah, that is enduring.

As our students take their steps in the Old City and then head out to Masada where Herod built his getaway and where zealous Jews built a hideaway, I am deeply moved by their reaction to it all.

My wife says the Yiddish-to-English translation of her great-grandfather's diary gave her “a rare opportunity to bring a family legend into the realm of reality.”

Taking Torah into the voting booth also means that pikuach nefesh, saving human life, is Judaism’s highest mitzvah, so consider your voting options carefully.

Do we see ourselves and this moment as grasshoppers, or do we jump on top of our chairs and say “Yachol nuchal, surely we can overcome this”?

We hear the story of Jonah on Yom Kippur, as an example of the power of repentance and redemption. But my favorite thing about this story is how perfectly messy it is to heed God's call.

As a young Reform Jewish leader, I have sought to foster critical discussions about individuals’ relationships with the Jewish state. But Israel’s detractors make no distinction between progressive and reactionary Zionism.

As we no longer serve God through temple sacrifices, many Jews have come to understand the entire world, in essence, to be God’s temple. This year, I believe we have vandalized God’s temple with the blood of the innocent.