Feminism

July 3, 2026

Celebrating America at 250 — Or, The Daughters of Tzelophechad Meet the Founding Fathers (Parashat Pinchas 5786, the 4th of July!)

This is the draft of my words for Shabbat morning, July 4, 2026, the day of America’s 250th anniversary! The parasha (reading in the Torah) is Pinchas, and my link to that is chapter 27 of Numbers. Chapter 27 of Numbers begins: They came up close, the daughters of Tzeloph’chad, son of Chefer, son of… Continue reading

Calendar, Conservative Judaism, Current Affairs, Equality, Feminism, Freedom, History, Holidays, Numbers, Parashat Hashavua, Pinchas, Power, USA
September 24, 2024

Back to College #2: Utilitarianism; Gender and Psychological Theory

Looking at my notes from "Justice" and Psychology today — it's neat for me to see where the terms consequentialism and utlitarianism first entered my mental landscape. Professor Sandel did a nice job (and I did a good job in my notes) capturing both the simplicity of Bentham's theory and the nuance of Mill's revisions of it,… Continue reading

College, Equality, Ethics, Feminism, Gender, Inclusion, Justice, Middot, Psychology, Young Jewish Adult
September 24, 2024

Back to College #2: Utilitarianism; Gender and Psychological Theory

Looking at my notes from "Justice" and Psychology today — it's neat for me to see where the terms consequentialism and utlitarianism first entered my mental landscape. Professor Sandel did a nice job (and I did a good job in my notes) capturing both the simplicity of Bentham's theory and the nuance of Mill's revisions of it,… Continue reading

College, Equality, Ethics, Feminism, Gender, Inclusion, Justice, Middot, Psychology, Young Jewish Adult
March 11, 2024

Conversations Toward Purim: Esther-Informed Spiritual Therapy for 5784 (And Beyond?)

To listen to this as a podcast recording, click here. You can watch, or read the same thing just below the video thumbnail. This is an introduction to a few conversations about the festival of Purim and the months of Adar in the Jewish calendar. I am releasing this on March 7, 2024, the 27th… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Esther, Ethics, Feminism, Gaza, Holidays, Israel, Joy, Power, Purim, Talmud, Terrorism, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
January 5, 2024

Who Were the Baby-Savers of Exodus and Who Are We?

Saving babies, according to the Torah, was the first crack in the oppression of the Israelites by Pharaoh. In the first two chapters of Exodus, the start of this week’s Torah reading in the synagogue and Jewish study cycle, two sets of people save baby boy Israelites from the death decreed by Pharaoh. First it’s… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Exodus, Feminism, Freedom, Gaza, History, Holidays, Interfaith Dialogue, Israel, Midrash, Moshe, Parashat Hashavua, Peace, Shmot, Terrorism, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
July 26, 2022

More Daughters of Tzelophechad, Less Pinchas: How to Stand Up Today

This is my D'var Torah from last Shabbat, Saturday, July 23, 2022. “It’s not a movement if everyone’s just sitting.” That’s a line from a conversation between then-Professor Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her 15-year-old daughter Jane in the film On the Basis of Sex, which is partly the story of how RBG, zichrona livracha, came… Continue reading

Community Relations, Current Affairs, Equality, Feminism, Gender, Inclusion, Justice, Leadership, Midrash, Moshe, Parashat Hashavua, Patience, Peace, Pinchas, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, USA
June 23, 2022

The Supreme Court This Term, Religion and Abortion

This isn’t the absolute center of the issue around abortion and the Supreme Court. But the issues in this article in Slate are important, particularly as the Court has ruled also this week in the Maine school case and potentially will soon rule in the high school coach prayer case. The headline is both spot… Continue reading

Bioethics, Community Relations, Conservative Judaism, Current Affairs, End of Life, Equality, Ethics, Feminism, Freedom, History, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Justice, LGBTQ+, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, USA
May 5, 2022

Being an American Zionist

This is the text of a column i wrote in the New Hampshire Jewish Reporter for December 2021. I am posting this today on Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day. I have been a Zionist since I was a kid. I didn’t become an American Zionist, though, until I was 22. That was when I decided… Continue reading

Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Environment, Equality, Ethics, Feminism, Freedom, History, Holidays, Israel, Jerusalem, Peace, Terrorism, Tikkun Olam, Tzedek, USA, Yom Haatzmaut
March 16, 2022

Tov! Special Purim Episode Is Out!

I haven't posted a Tov! update for a while, but a few new episodes are out the past month and one of them is keyed to Purim which begins tonight. Listen right here or on YouTube (it's just audio), or check out the episode page with the audio and full show notes. Or just subscribe… Continue reading

Calendar, Esther, Ethics, Feminism, Gender, Holidays, Leadership, Middot, Midrash, Purim, Tov! Podcast
September 23, 2021

Tov! Chapter 7 — Lying!

On “The Good Place” Chapter 7 is the classic lying episode, and on the podcast Rebecca Rosenthal and I jump off from the Talmud’s analysis of white lies to talk about truth and relationships, how and when we tell people important truths, and how truth emerges between people not just by telling. (Also the Klingon… Continue reading

Education, Elul, Ethics, Feminism, Foregiveness, Gossip, High Holidays, Jewish Education, Justice, Lashon Hara, Middot, Rosh Hashanah, Study, Talmud, Television, Torah, Tov! Podcast, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
September 9, 2021

Integrating America: An Artifact That Represents America

#integratingamerica Assignment: Choose an artifact that to you represents America, American society, or American culture. Feel free to share an image and/or explanation in the comments here or in your own post. ————— When I began co-teaching the course, the artifact I chose was the book and album “Free to Be You and Me.” It’s… Continue reading

#integratingamerica, Books, Current Affairs, Education, Equality, Feminism, Freedom, Gender, Inclusion, Justice, Study, Teens, Tikkun Olam, Tzedek, USA, Youth
July 7, 2021

Getting Up Close — Advocacy, Daughters of Tzelophechad-Style

This was my Dvar Torah on Parashat Pinchas from July 3, 2021. ותקרבנה בנות צלפחד — Vatikravna Bnot Tzelophechad, they came up close, the daughters of Tzelophechad son of Chefer son of Gilad son of Machir son of Menashe of the families of Menashe son of Yaakov, and these are the names of his daughters:… Continue reading

Community Relations, Current Affairs, Ethics, Feminism, Housing, Immigration, Inclusion, Leadership, Numbers, Parashat Hashavua, Pinchas, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, USA