With so much going on in the United States, Georgia, and Atlanta, the pandemic, Passover just around the corner, and all the other things going on in our lives... we may have missed some of the headlines coming out of Israel in recent weeks - and they're a really big deal!. Like the fact that Israel is holding its fourth election in just two years on March 23rd!  Or the fact that the Supreme Court just issued a HUGE ruling in favor of recognizing conversions performed by the Reform and Conservative Movements in Israel, resulting in folks who are Jews-by-choice to receive Israeli citizenship (which they previously were unable to do)!  OR the fact that Keren Kayemet L'Yisrael (KKL, the Israeli Jewish National Fund, which has no connection to the JNF based out of New York), is planning to purchase land in Area C of the West Bank! I could write three books diving into all three of these topics, but today, I want to call our attention to the issue of the KKL (with articles at the bottom … [Read more...]

There is a powerful message that comes to us through almost every aspect of our Judaism that we, the Jewish people, are charged to help change the world for the better…in partnership with God. This charge has resonated, and inspired, Jews through hundreds of generations. It is empowering to believe that we are an important part of something essential to the world. That as human civilization moves through each era of time, the Jewish people have something vitally important to contribute to what we would term 'progress.' This manifests itself in part through each Jewish community's commitment to tikkun olom, but even more so through individual's who act 'above and beyond' for the sake of healing a world that is broken. Each one is a drop of water that forms streams, until the good righteousness that we bring into the world is like a "raging river." (Amos 5:24). This Shabbat we recognize a few of these volunteers who help, in their own way, bring about the world that Judaism … [Read more...]

The old joke goes that there are two kinds of people, people who like to divide the world into two and everyone else. Jews tend to be in the former category. So, on Purim we can consider what kind of Jew we are on this holiday: a Purim Jew or a Passover Jew. These two holidays share so much already: traditional foods, a story that matches the holiday, and a centuries old way of observing the day. But when it comes down to is, a Purim Jew looks at the community in which they live and says, "I can change this. I can make it better." A Pesach Jew says, "the place where we live is untenable, we must leave our homes and set out for a Promised Land." Both are fair responses to crisis, and both are very Jewish responses. Throughout our history, American Jews have been the Purim Jews: deepening our commitment in this country to make it a better place for us and all who live here. Whereas, much of the European and Middle Eastern Jewish world has left for the modern State of Israel-Passover … [Read more...]

Every month in the Jewish or secular calendar has a feeling to it. This past weekend we entered the joyful Hebrew month of Adar, the month in which we celebrate Purim! מִשֶּׁנִּכְנַס אֲדָר מַרְבִּין בְּשִׂמְחָה MisheNichnas Adar marbin b'simchah, "'As Adar enters, joy is increased,' says Rav Yehudah."* With the month of Adar upon us, now we are called to increase our joy as we build up to Purim. The call to celebrate Purim does not come from  Tanach (though the story resides in the Book of Esther). Rather, the Sages of the Talmud eventually recorded an entire scroll to explain how the holiday should be observed. But they omitted one very important instruction, how we are to increase our joy in the days leading up to and following Purim! Why would the Rabbis leave such a request without the how-to or to-do list? I believe it's because we each find joy in life in different ways. It's pretty hard to tell someone, "Hey, do this, this, and that…find joy!" Instead, it's pretty … [Read more...]

Before we returned from Boston, I heard from my mother-in-law, who was awaiting our return, that the refrigerator was freezing everything in the fridge. We wouldn't be able to buy any groceries until we get it fixed unless we want to defrost the milk and eggs each morning. A few calls and a few days later we had a technician come out to the house and repair it. It seems that the problem was a flap that regulates the flow of cold air into the refrigerator that was stuck open, constantly flooding our fridge with cold air. In fact, the technician said that the only reason we hadn't noticed this sooner was because of how much we were opening and closing the fridge throughout our day. So, the flap was fixed and the refrigerator lives to chill another day. Afterward, I couldn't help but see a connection between the fridge and Zohara's heart surgery. Over the past few months, I've taken a deep dive into the world of medicine and science as my way to be more engaged with Zohara's care. … [Read more...]