Current Affairs

October 31, 2024

Diversity as a Tikkun and a Curse: The Tower of Babel

Here is my current draft of a D’var Torah for this coming Shabbat, when we read Parashat Noach and in particular the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The story of the Tower of Babel teaches that diversity is both a tikkun and a curse. A tikkun, a fix for some problem of humanity,… Continue reading

Current Affairs, Election, Immigration, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Noach, Parashat Hashavua, Torah, USA
October 30, 2024

A Year of Jewish Ethics #2: Moral Psychology (and Good Enough?)

Image of superhero is designed by Freepik This series of short teachings about Jewish ethics is mostly about the “what”, the principles of action. But that can’t be disentangled from moral psychology, which is the inner experience of trying to do the right thing. Torah discusses moral psychology as well as moral principles. As the… Continue reading

A Year of Jewish Ethics, Current Affairs, Ethics, Middot, Midrash, Noach, Noah, Parashat Hashavua, Psychology, Torah, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
October 22, 2024

A Year of Jewish Ethics #1: Speech

Last Shabbat I spoke among other things about the imperative this year in particular that Jews immerse ourselves in our own teachings about ethics. To be connected and grounded as we deal with issues in the American and Jewish worlds, we need to make Jewish ethics a core of our Jewish selves. To help,… Continue reading

A Year of Jewish Ethics, Bereshit, Current Affairs, Ethics, Middot, Parashat Hashavua, Speech Ethics, Torah
October 9, 2024

A Year Later, Back to Moshe’s Final Words of Blessing — Rosh Hashanah 5785 (2024) Day 1

On Simchat Torah morning, after we parade with the Torah scrolls, we gather around to read the very last words of Moshe Rabbenu, Moses our teacher. The man who could hardly speak departs with an original song – his words, not God’s. And his last sentence in life begins: Ashreicha Yisrael, Mi Chamocha. Happy… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Gaza, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Interfaith Dialogue, Israel, Leadership, Moshe, Power, Rosh Hashanah, Terrorism, Torah, Yamim Noraim, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
October 6, 2024

A Prayer For All of Us Who Are Mourning A Year After October 7

A year of mourning has a rhythm, supposedlyA bass line laid down by SagesTo help the heart re-pace itselfSo the heart can help the bodyMetabolize absenceLet go the face, the name,The vocal signatureLet them travel the neuron network pathwaysFor 7 days, for 30; 11 months, a yearFind their way to the assembly pointAt the node… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Current Affairs, Dreams/Dreaming, Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem, Peace, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
July 19, 2024

D’var Torah for Balak: Saying We Are Blessed

It's Friday and here is my current draft of a D'var Torah for Shabbat morning on Parashat Balak, Numbers 22:2-25:9: In the parasha this week, an enemy of the Jews asks a man of powerful words to curse Israel. To say bad things about us in a way to bring us harm. And it doesn’t… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Balak, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Gratitude, Hakarat Hatov, Hope, Israel, Jerusalem, Lech L’cha, Parashat Hashavua, Torah
June 27, 2024

The Grape Cluster and the Two Who Carry It: A D’var Torah for Pride

This is the D'var Torah I gave for Pride Shabbat 5781/2021, for Parashat Sh'lach L'cha (Numbers 13:1-15:41). I love this parasha about the scouts, the m’raglim, and the fact that the Torah is so brutally honest about how hard it is to go forward even to a land of milk and honey, even when the… Continue reading

Calendar, Conservative Judaism, Current Affairs, Education, Equality, Friendship, GLBT, Gratitude, Hakarat Hatov, Inclusion, Jewish Education, Justice, LGBTQ+, Parashat Hashavua, Sh’lach L’cha, Teens, Teshuvah, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
May 16, 2024

An Invitation From a Zionist to Non- or Anti-Zionists: Talk to Me

For the non-Zionists or anti-Zionist in my circle, a sincere set of questions from a Zionist. I’m actually looking to understand where you are coming from, so these aren’t gotcha questions. I’ve been working on this for a week or more, but held off posting so as not to intrude on people’s marking Yom Hazikkaron,… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Equality, Ethics, Freedom, Gaza, History, Holocaust, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Islam, Israel, Justice, Peace, Speech Ethics, Terrorism, Tikkun Olam, Yom Haatzmaut, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
May 15, 2024

Yom Hashoah Remarks 5784 (2024)

This is what I said at the ceremony of lighting candles at the end of our annual Holocaust Remembrance Program in Nashua which the Jewish community holds at Rivier University in conjunction with the school, our Catholic partner in remembering. After the thank you's I said this: We came here this evening to learn and… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Gaza, History, Holidays, Holocaust, Interfaith Dialogue, Israel, Justice, LGBTQ+, Power, Terrorism, Tikkun Olam, Tzedek, Yom Hashoah, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
May 3, 2024

Tentative Torah For the Week’s Parasha and Week of Protests

Some meandering and very rough notes about the opening of this week’s Torah reading, Leviticus 16. It stands on its own, though originally this all emerged from me during the spring 2024 events at Columbia University and other places. The chapter appears to be just the description by the Divine to Moshe and Aharon (Moses… Continue reading

Acharei Mot, Antisemitism, Calendar, Current Affairs, Foregiveness, Friendship, Gaza, Holidays, Interfaith Dialogue, Israel, Justice, Leadership, Middot, Midrash, Moshe, Parashat Hashavua, Patience, Ritual, Tzedek, USA, Yom Kippur, Young Jewish Adult
March 22, 2024

Being Jewish Is More Than Anti-Anti-Semitism

This was my D’var Torah for Shabbat morning, March 23, 2024. This is my closing address for our six-week conference of the Society for the Advancement of Esther-Informed Spiritual Therapy. Today is Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat that comes before Purim. Shabbat Zachor is the dark set-up for a zany festival. Zachor means “remember.” We are… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Esther, Ethics, Gaza, Holidays, Holocaust, Israel, Leadership, Middot, Purim, Torah, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
March 21, 2024

Adar Conversation — Getting to Mi Yode’a (Who Knows): Moral Clarity in a Topsy-Turvy World

Here is a session I did picking up on another of the themes I laid out in my talk a couple weeks ago. Grateful to Valley Beit Midrash for hosting it. You can watch or listen. Follow the texts I refer to here on this source sheet at Sefaria. Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Current Affairs, Esther, Gaza, Holidays, Midrash, Purim, Talmud, Tzedek, Yom Kippur, Young Jewish Adult, Youth