ON Scripture - The Torah
Needless to say, God is none too happy with the ungrateful Israelites. Without a word of explanation (was any really needed by that point?), God sets loose “fiery serpents” among the disgruntled and rebellious people. The snakes attack the community...
As a greenhorn rabbi, ordained only a matter of weeks ago, I find myself seeking out more experienced religious and non-profit leaders to figure out how they do what they do. While the moment of ordination was meaningful and moving, it did not (at...
What it is affirming is that this woman has learned from her experience living on the edge. Rachav knew this wisdom because she lived on the edge like the tzitzit — not only geographically, but socially. Open to visitors, open to a people living on...
As an educator, I am reminded daily of the dangers of gossip. There is a steady stream of young girls and boys who visit my office pleading for help as the victims of the hurtful words of others. Left unchecked by adults, teachers and parents, the...
This week, Jews all over the world will be celebrating the festival of Shavuot. Like Passover and Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles), Shavuot is one of our three main pilgrimage festivals. Our religious imaginations conjure up images of thousands of...
We celebrate Shavuot this week not because God spoke to our ancient ancestors for the very first or last time. We celebrate Shavuot because it was then at Mount Sinai that the Children of Israel heard so much more.
We often ignore the context or landscape of leadership that presents unique challenges and obstacles. We do not sufficiently manage resistance or understand it as critical pieces of information to help us lead better. We need to know what people are...
Do we owe special allegiances to “our people,” above and beyond our responsibilities to other human beings? What is and ought to be the relationship between our collective identities and moral scope?
In the midst of the ritual celebration of the harvest an economic program that includes the poor and the stranger is installed. The biblical twinning of the poor and the stranger is pertinent in our times.
In the case of Holocaust era heroes, they heard a call—from God or personal conscience—to serve those in need.
