The Nudge of Selichot
After 10 weeks of swimming, biking, walking at the ocean's edge, and rationalizing that it's too hot for tennis, Saturday night Selichot services appear on my calendar as the call back from the freedom of su
How Tikkun Olam and Pikuah Nefesh Will Help Me Prepare: A #BlogElul Post
Last week I had lunch with a rabbi friend who told me he’s in the midst of preparing four different sermons for the upcoming High Holidays.
Carrying our Temple's Torah Scrolls to Safety
That photo is of me, carrying Congregation Or Ami's two Sifrei Torah on the Las Virgenes bridge over the 101 Freeway in Calabasas, CA. I had just carried the two scrolls from our synagogue building, away from smoky fire.
Returning to the People – and the Parents – We Want to Be
I don’t want to raise my children in a home with yelling. And yet, when I slip in a way that’s human and understandable, I fail both myself and my children.
Why the Un’taneh Tokef Scares Me and What We Can Do About It
The Un’taneh Tokef scares me. The tragic ends it describes – famine and thirst, flooding and drought – all are imminent possibilities in today’s world.
Shabbat and the Law of Unintended Consequences
Seeing Through the Darkness: Inside Charlottesville’s Synagogue One Week Later
May we continue to be inspired by Congregation Beth Israel to turn darkness into light, to turn fear into resolve, to turn xenophobia into acceptance, and to turn hatred into hope.
What Jewish Experiences Impacted Your Life? Take Our Survey!
When you think back on your life, how has it been informed or influenced by Reform Jewish practice, experiences, and community?
Torah Lessons My Father Taught Me
I was a student in my father's ninth grade religious-school class. What I remember the most all these years later is learning Torah from him and, most important, the practical ethical lessons we can apply to our lives from our most sacred text.
The Makeshift Sukkah: An Enduring Institution Framing an Eternal Covenant
The relatively brief Torah reading for the first day of Sukkot offers a quick summary of the who, what, when, where, and why of this sacred celebration-the third and final observance in the cycle of three pilgrimage festivals.