On April 15, 1956, which was Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israeli Independence Day, the outlook for the young State of Israel did not look good – not good at all.
March 27, 2015
Freedom's Journey
Occasion(s) / Tzav
When Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant sat down together at Appomattox in April 1865, an exchange of their respective Seder plans was not high on their list of priorities.
March 21, 2015
The Hidden Question
Occasion(s) / Other
According to the Mishnah, today’s arrival of the Hebrew month of Nisan signals the ascension of the Kings of Israel.
February 21, 2015
European Jewry: Stay or Go?
Occasion(s) / Other
Our tradition teaches: Mishenikhnas Adar marbim b’simhah, when [the month of] Adar enters, one must increase joy. (Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 29a) For me, as I imagine for you, it has been a difficult commandment to fulfill as we greeted this new month with a sense of gloom.
February 14, 2015
A Time to Stand Down, Not Double Down
Occasion(s) / Mishpatim
Of late, when I think of Israel’s Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, I think of the opening scene of La Bohème. Puccini’s famed opera begins in the home of Marcello and Rudolfo as they seek to stave off the bitter cold of winter.
January 17, 2015
Rules for Rabbis
Occasion(s) / Va-era
On the 541st and, for that matter, final page of Sanford Horwitt’s biography of Saul Alinsky, Horwitt reveals the story that he believes is the defining moment in the life of one of our nation’s most provocative and impactful community organizers.
January 10, 2015
I Will Be What I Will Be
Occasion(s) / Sh’mot
It is, and will forever be, a humbling proposition to serve as a congregational rabbi in the wake of the life and legacy of Rabbi Harold Schulweis, of blessed memory. Rabbi Schulweis, the senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom in Southern California, passed away last month at age 89.
December 20, 2014
Where Do You Put Your Menorah?
Occasion(s) / Other
Joseph never had to ask himself where to place his menorah in the palace of Pharaoh, but if he had, my hunch is that its location would have been as inconspicuous as possible.
November 22, 2014
Choosing the Right Pond
Occasion(s) / Tol’dot
For those of you with two young children at your breakfast table, Cornell economist Robert H. Frank has just the experiment for you.
November 07, 2014
Viva La France
Occasion(s) / Va-yera
As I sat this past Monday morning in the pews of the Grande Synagogue on Rue de la Victoire in Paris, I could not help but be overwhelmed by a sense of history. It was the first stop of a non-stop three-day UJA-Federation Solidarity Mission to Paris.