Hanukkah Matters
Black Friday
On "Black Friday," I went to the mall, and for the first time since my conversion many years ago, I felt an empty pit in my stomach.
Hanukkah's History: Challenging but Full of Meaning
The history of Hanukkah squeezes us between two competing narratives: one of id
A Sustainable Hanukkah
“A great miracle happened there,” we say, as we spin the Hanukkah dreidel each year while eating latkes fried in oil. But what was “the miracle” of Hanukkah? Our tradition recounts more than one.
Happy Hanumas? Ditch Season's Greetings
Happy Hanumas? Happy Chrismakah? Merry Chanukah? The winter holidays are fast approaching. It's time for non-celebrants of Christmas to read yourselves for the onslaught of seasonal niceties from store clerks and acquaintances.
Where Are We on Christmas Day?
Temple Beth El, Madison WI
Originally posted on Rabbi Jonathan's Rabbinical Blog
"Where are you on Christmas Day?"
A Unique Tu BiShvat for Israel's Trees
Jewish communities around the world marked the "new year for the trees" last week with tree planting ceremonies and seders that celebrate Israel's seven species (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates if you are keeping track!).
Eight Nights, Redefined
For some children, finding out that the tooth fairy isn't real is the final straw.
Tu Bishvat: Doing Something About It.
I consider myself an environmentalist. I write about the earth, think about the earth, care about the earth. I wrote my rabbinical thesis partly on Judaism and the environment, and I helped found en environmental advocacy committee in my synagogue.