It's true. You read it correctly. There wasn't a typo. A handful of weeks ago, I did not want to go to services.  I was tired.  I had a long week.  I had a busy weekend ahead of me.  I didn't even want to host a Shabbat dinner, I just wanted to have a quiet night to myself.  But I listened to your voices, the ones who often leave our services saying, "Rabbi, you know, I really wasn't in the mood to leave the house and come to services tonight, but it turns out that it was exactly what I needed, I'm so glad I came."   Your reminder was just what I needed, and the lively services lifted me up: my energy, my spirit, my smile. All it took was showing up to Temple Emanu-El on a Friday night and Shabbat did the rest.
  I hope you'll join me tomorrow night for services outside on the Schiffer Family Terrace Chapel.  Come hear the bigger story of what really happens when the rabbi doesn't want to go to services. I promise, there's a message for everyone in what I learned.  Soak up the holy … [Read more...]

Passover is one of the most celebrated Jewish holidays, often bringing together extended family to engage in the tradition of the pesach seder. However, for the past two years, many folks have been unable to host or attend these large gatherings.   God-willing, this year is different. So much so that when we reach the question: "Why is this night different from all other nights?" I pray that many of us will have the opportunity to add, "because we can all be together again."   While we hold this tremendous joy in our hearts, we also know that hate still plagues our world. Yet Judaism built a system in which the cycle of the holidays carries us forward no matter our circumstances. Just like the Jews of Ukraine found opportunities to read and hear the megillah on Purim, so too will they find ways to host and attend sedarim. Judaism provides constant reminders to surround ourselves with community.  This Pesach, while we hold in our hearts the disruptions that plague our world and the hate … [Read more...]

I do not follow celebrities. Just ask Rabbi Max, other than Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep (whose name I had to Google because I forgot it for a second)…I'm not really attuned to these things.  That said, earlier this week I couldn't walk anywhere without overhearing someone talk about "the slap heard around the world." Immediately my thoughts turned to The Slap's connection to our Torah portion this week.  Our Torah portion this week is Tazria. Though the rabbinic commentary on the portion provides nice material for sermons, few rabbis get particularly excited when they draw the Tazria card for their Shabbat service, and many a bar or bat mitzvah student come into our office like: WHAT did I just read?! That's because the main themes of the Torah portion are: purification rituals after childbirth; and, the ways to diagnose and treat various skin diseases, like tzaraat.  Tzaraat is an important disease in Jewish literature. The rabbinic interpretation of why someone may be … [Read more...]

Be Happy!…no one ever wants to be told, "Oh, you're feeling down, why not just try and be happy!" Yet this is exactly how we're supposed to try and feel in the month of Adar.   Like many of you, I can't sit in my comfortable and safe home and not worry about the war in Ukraine. I've especially been thinking about the irony between the happiness of the month of Adar and the horrible state of affairs in Ukraine. How are the Ukrainian Jews supposed to be happy this month? How are they going to celebrate Purim?  The Babylonian word, Adar, is not so different from the Hebrew word Adir, meaning strength. Happiness takes strength. The Ukrainian community is mustering all their strength to protect their nation as the women and children head to surrounding borders for safety.  Tomorrow night, join me and Dr. Artie Gumer in prayer and community as I share the moving story of how a rabbi and her daughter fled from Odessa last week.  The rabbi of Odessa shared, "We plan to have an amazing … [Read more...]

Temple Emanu-El is kick-starting a new Israel initiative. With AIPAC's support, we are launching a campaign to mobilize our community for pro-Israel advocacy.  Last May, during the most recent conflict with Gaza, the narratives about Israel were unlike any I had heard in previous conflicts. In the news, political arena, and social-media platforms, Israel took a hard hit. Of course, Israel isn't without her wrongs, but the rewriting of history and the ignorance surrounding an understanding of values held by HAMAS (the terrorist organization inside Gaza), was cause for great concern.  Though Temple Emanu-El's Reform Zionist beliefs have not wavered in word, we could have been taking greater action - we've gotten a little sleepy on the subject.   A positive relationship between the State of Israel and the United States is critical to the continued safety and security of Israel.  When large numbers of constituents reach out to their elected officials, policies happen. The response … [Read more...]