Traditional theology has asserted that “everything happens for a reason” and that when we do bad, we’re punished and when we do good we’re rewarded. This idea isn’t unique to Judaism and the Jewish people. It’s something that different religious groups and their followers have clung to for centuries. Some of us find this idea to be comforting because it means there’s a rationale that the world operates in a way that’s neat and...Read more...
I’m on a plane from DC to Atlanta while I’m writing this article. I was in DC for a conference for a relatively new organization called Zionist Rabbinic Coalition. I’ve attended many conferences in DC over the years including AIPAC, and never has one felt so urgent and so difficult. I chose to attend this year because this is a most important and urgent time for the American Jewish Community and for Israel. I was in DC when the UN stood...Read more...
People who know me well know I’m partial to symmetry. I like when things are in order and when they’re balanced. Some call this a bit annoying. I refer to it as something extra special. Many people who see the world as I do like to have a “B” to each “A.” They like to have everything in pairs just like I do. Our holidays come in pairs: Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, Hanukkah and Purim, Passover and...Read more...
“Is it worth it?” These four words are often spoken when dealing with something that is challenging. “Is it worth it…” to keep on eating healthy when we don’t see the progress in our health? “Is it worth it…” to fight with those we love when we know we will make up later on? “Is it worth it…” to put forth all of this effort when nobody will even notice what I have done? All of these questions of the inherent value in...Read more...
October 7, 2023 is a day that will live forever in the collective memories of the Jewish people and all people of conscience in the world. For those without a conscience, it will be a day like every other day, a day of nothing out of the ordinary. 90 years prior to October 7, 2023, an obscure thing happened that was buried in the newspapers of the days. Dr Albert Einstein boarded a ship in London to travel across the Atlantic...Read more...
