It’s a Redeemable World After All
In Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, in Hebrew, we learn, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). It’s not a complacent statement nor an apathetic one. King Solomon, who is […] The post It’s a...
View ArticleWhen Our Hearts are Moved
When our hearts are moved we’re inclined to do so much. It’s just as our Torah portion opens in Exodus 25, “Tell the Israelite people to bring Me Gifts; you […] The post When Our Hearts are Moved...
View ArticleAt Home with Humanity
In the Talmud, when the rabbis didn’t know how to settle the law for the community, they said, “Tzei ul’meid,” go and learn. In effect, go and see what the […] The post At Home with Humanity appeared...
View ArticleThe Mask We Wear
Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, Ph.D., of HUC-JIR, wrote in his book, The Mask Jews Wear: The Self-Deceptions of American Jewry (1973), “The men (sic) of the Bible and the rabbis of […] The post The Mask We...
View ArticleSharing New Roles in Jewish Life
On Monday, March 24, 2025, I’ll be installed as CCAR President at the annual CCAR Convention for a two-year term. Following years on the CCAR Board and as an officer, […] The post Sharing New Roles in...
View ArticleFinding Holiness in Uncivil Times
The book of Leviticus isn’t generally a favorite book among Bible readers. If it’s any indication, Hollywood hasn’t recreated any of its scenes like it did from Genesis and Exodus. […] The post Finding...
View ArticleFaith is the Future
Passover is coming. More than 550 days since October 7, 2023, and loved ones we expected to be at the table with us will not be there, again. In Israel, […] The post Faith is the Future appeared first...
View ArticleRemembering Pope Francis
In August 2024, I visited with Pope Francis in Rome in his residence at Santa Marta, joined by 17 Christian clergy and lay people whose interfaith community organizing in the […] The post Remembering...
View ArticleHebrew Words for Humanity
The words, diversity, equity, and inclusion, better known as DEI, have become a proverbial four-letter word. I know that it doesn’t have four letters, but it might as well. We’ve […] The post Hebrew...
View ArticleIt’s Really So Simple to Be Good
In this week’s Torah portion, Tazria-Metzora addresses ills such as bodily emissions and skin afflictions. According to Torah, the obligation of the affected person was to make himself known to […] The...
View Article