A Math Formula Can "Carry a Charge of Love"
Judaism is filled with ritualized counting. From the seven ordered days of creation, to the repetition of forty throughout the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), to God's exhortation to Abraham to "count the stars, if you can count them…" Currently, we are in the midst of counting the Omer, the days from Passover to Shavuot.
Shabbat is Everywhere
I’ve always been taught that when the Jewish people read from the Torah, it is not a random passage.
Hey, That's Not Our Torah Scroll!
Recently at the regular Shabbat minyan at Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York City, we worshipers were thrown for a bit of a loop when, at the beginning of the Torah service, the rabbi took a scroll from the ark that was different than the one we
What Does Unplugging for Shabbat Look Like for You?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about unplugging for Shabbat – and wondering what that would mean for many Reform and Conservative Jews. Most of us drive on Saturday, answer the phone, write, and turn lights on and off. What would it look like for us to “power down” over Shabbat?
Lag BaOmer Bonfires: A Warning Sign of Hatred
What makes this holiday a favorite among secular Israelis, while it is almost forgotten by Jewish kids in the Diaspora?
"Excuse Me, Are You Jewish?": Why the Lubavitchers Are So Interested in You
While my daughter, Mimi, was walking in a Brooklyn mall recently, pushing her baby in the stroller, she was approached by a modestly dressed girl of about 12 years old. Speaking with a slight accent, the girl asked, “Are you Jewish?”