The Importance of Challah
This week’s Torah portion includes the story of sending the scouts to Canaan and a number of laws about sacrifices and communal and individual wrongs.
A Reform Jew-by-Choice Begins His Journey to the Rabbinate
I began my journey to Judaism nervously. Unlike the Charedim (ultra-Orthodox) who are anxious before the word of God, I was anxious in the uncertainty of the future.
In Lockdown, We Built a Cyber-Sanctuary
Never in my life have I craved Shabbat as deeply as I did on Friday, April 19th, 2013.
Shabbat, Teen-Style
I sometimes think that my teenagers have a more demanding schedule than I do. They are in the classroom for eight hours every day, and spend their afternoons filled with multiple extracurricular activities, homework, and managing the numerous pressures and challenges of being a teenager.
Seeing is Believing: Visual T’filot and the Future of Jewish Worship
The Music of Avinu Malkeinu
In the game “Truth-or-Dare,” I choose “truth” nearly every time. I’m not much of a dare-taker. Thus, if you and I were playing “Special Edition Truth-or-Dare: High Holy Days,” I would confess that the prayer Avinu Malkeinu provides me with both my second-favorite liturgical moment and my second-greatest pet peeve of the year’s liturgy. (Note: Even though I may have to repent for it, I will leave you in suspense about my favorite liturgical moment and my greatest liturgical pet peeve. Also, “Special Edition Truth-or-Dare: High Holy Days” is fictional, although I hereby declare copyright in the event Mattel or Hasbro comes knocking at my door.)
Spiritual Authenticity
I think it's fair to say that just about everybody knows that the Israelites were condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years, a biblical generation.