A Maundy Thursday Seder
Blessing: To the Amazing People in My Life (#BlogExodus, Day 7)
Sitting here, thinking about the subject of blessing, I realize that my greatest blessing is the people in my life. My teachers, students, friends, family…all of you offer me blessings that are greater than anything else…and which remind me of how blessed I am in my life.
Asking (#BlogExodus, Day 9)
Learning (#BlogExodus, Day 8)
Earlier tonight, I was catching up with my college roommate, Terry.
A Sacred Journey: The Biographical Theology of Passover
In the weeks leading up to Passover, I think about the imperative embedded in the Hagaddah: B'chol dor vador chiav adam lirot et atzmo k'ilu hu yatza mi-mitzrayim, "In each and every generation, a person is obligated to see oneself as if he or she exited from Egypt." I share a personal s
Evolutionary Tradition (#BlogExodus, Day 10)
In his speech today to students in Israel, President Obama told the crowd that he started holding seders at the White House because he wanted his children to know the story and the message of the haggadah.
A Real Passover Miracle in Calcutta
While studying abroad in India for the second semester of my junior year, I have had a number of interesting experiences ranging from challenging to incredible.
Marriage Equality and Passover: "From Degradation to Praise"
This Passover, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will hear two cases that have enormous impact on equality and liberty in our country. On the first two days of Pesach, oral arguments in California's Prop 8 case and the Defense of Marriage Act case will be heard.
Let My People Go... Forth to the Wedding Chapel!
As a rabbi and president-elect of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, I come here to be with you this morning at the Supreme Court on the very first day of Passover to say: Our nation is ready for marriage equality. This is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. It marks the day in Jewish tradition when we mark the Exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt; it marks the beginning of a journey to freedom. Today is our day to march toward that freedom, the freedom to marry. I represent more than 2,500 Reform rabbis. We support marriage equality and have filed Friends of the Court briefs in both today's Prop 8 case and tomorrow's DOMA case. Do not let others tell you that all religions oppose LGBT equality rights. We Reform Jews welcome, support, include, and, yes, advocate full rights and equality, including the right to marry the ones we love.
S’firat HaOmer: The Omer Period in Jewish Life
The mechanism to connect the Exodus with the giving of the Torah is a simple one-counting the days.