For the next month and change there won’t be any major Jewish holidays. That leaves some Jews wondering how to engage “Jewishly” since the holidays provide both an occasion and a script for Jewish experiences. The truth is actually quite simple: Judaism without holidays is, in many ways, much more engaging and fulfilling than Judaism […]
Blog
The Blessing of Torah
Yesterday and today are Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is a holiday that celebrates the end and the beginning of the annual cycle of Torah reading observed by Jewish communities around the world. Every time that Jews study Torah we recite a blessing. That blessing concludes with the words la’asok b’divrei Torah. We thank God for the […]
Science and Religion
As a day school rabbi I work with kids pretty much every day. Having been at it for the last decade, I’m now able to say, somewhat conclusively, that there are certain perennial topics that kids are curious about. One of them is the relationship between science and religion. Because kids seem to linger in […]
Shemini Atzeret
What is Shemini Atzeret? I can’t imagine how many Jews have asked that question and are still left wondering! Here’s a bit of an explanation/interpretation. Shemini Atzeret is a festival that follows immediately on the heels of Sukkot, one of the 3 major festivals of Jewish tradition. Because Shemini Atzeret starts just as Sukkot […]
Sukkot, Music to My Ears
I’m glad I don’t have to choose a favorite holiday. I can love Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I can love Shavuot and Sukkot. But every year, when Sukkot arrives, it is literally, music to my ears. When I think of Sukkot I think of beautiful weather. I think of hanging out in a Sukkah with family and friends. I […]
What’s it like to be a rabbi?
I have a cherished colleague. Her name is Dr. M. Cathy Harmon-Christian. She teaches in the theology department at Marist. Among other things, she and I have a chavruta, a study-based friendship. It’s a lot of fun. An offshoot of that chavruta is that every so often she’ll send along a question asked by her students. “What’s […]