Rabbi’s Writings
The Meaning of Purim Unmasked — Esther’s Lesson For Today!
The effervescent levity of Purim each year spills over into the entire month of Adar (or two, as the case may be, like this year!) where it occupies a central position. From the moment Adar begins, Jewish tradition commands us to be happy (never mind the fact that there was always, Oy Gevalt, plenty to worry […]
We Are All Ukrainians
Standing Up and Speaking Out Against Today’s Pharaohs Our Torah tells us this past week, as we approach the end of the Book of Exodus, that Moses gathers all the people together—using the word, Va’Yakhel, which shares the same root with the word Kehillah, a sacred community—first to remind the people about the sanctity of […]
Why a Muslim imam showed up at the Colleyville synagogue to offer spiritual help
Dear Bet Haverim, We are living in challenging times on so many levels. Each challenge, every crisis also presents us with a choice and an opportunity. Though I’ve been on sabbatical, and write to you now from a spiritual retreat center in Costa Rica, you have not been far from my heart as we attempt […]
By the Light of Thanksgiving
As Jewish families gather across the country this year on the last Thursday in November, you might very well hear: “Carve the Turkey and pass the Latkes.” No this is not some kind of cosmic time warp conflating the American festival of Thanksgiving and the Jewish Festival of Lights!! But what a strange feeling it is when these […]
Love Letter to My Congregation, Yom Kippur sermon 5782
Love Letter to My Congregation: A Legacy Letter of Appreciation and Blessing for A Lifetime of Learning, Love and Living Jewishly! An old joke, from before even I was a rabbi, goes like this: A congregant approaches his rabbi with a dilemma. “Rabbi,” he says, “I have a big problem. You know I’m a […]
The Twisty Road Towards Hope, Rosh HaShanah Sermon 5782
A brand new word—to most of us outside the gymnastics’ arena, anyway—was introduced into the broader human lexicon this summer at the Olympics. We came to know this new word—“twisties”—through the devastating experience of four-time gold medalist in gymnastics, Simone Biles. The “twisties” caused her to drop out of some of the most prominent gymnastic […]
