Health Care

March 15, 2021

A Year in the Desert — Reflections One Year Later

This was my D'var Torah on Saturday, March 13, 2021. Shabbat Ha-Chodesh is the name for the Shabbat that precedes the start of the month when Pesach occurs. These are some of my reflections on the past year of the Covid-19 pandemic; one piece can hardly say it all. Shabbat Ha-Chodesh, this day in the… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Election, Health Care, History, Holidays, Jewish Education, Justice, Leadership, Parashat Hashavua, Pekudei, Prayer, Shabbat, Shabbat Hachodesh, Spirituality, Synagogue, Temple Beth Abraham, Torah, Tzedek, USA, Vayakhel, Web/Tech, Youth
December 10, 2020

Thinking Out Loud — COVID Curfews

I'd like to be using my blog more to model and invite some ethical deliberation more of the time. This is something I dashed off to post on Facebook the other night. Particular references are to my locale of Nashua, NH, but it's relevant for elsewhere. Wondering about the curfew debate. This isn’t an argument in favor… Continue reading

Bioethics, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Ethics, Freedom, Health Care, Leadership, Patience, Science, Taking Sides, USA
April 7, 2020

My Passover Haggadah Commentary for This Year

I just finished these thoughts. They are a combination of commentaries, reflection pieces, discussion prompts related to the Seder text, the Pesach Haggadah. You could read them before or after a Seder, or even during. Wishing everyone a good festival and a Zissen (sweet) Pesach. https://images.shulcloud.com/544/uploads/Pesach/sederthoughts5780.pdf Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Freedom, Health Care, History, Holidays, Holocaust, Jewish Education, Justice, Pesach, Spirituality, Study, Talmud, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedakah, Tzedek, USA
April 5, 2020

Passover 5780 — The Four Children of COVID-19

This is a version of the D'var Torah I gave on Saturday, April 4, 2020, Shabbat Hagadol 5780. According to the Passover Haggadah: “The Torah speaks of four children. One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple, and one does not know to ask. Echad chacham, v’echad rasha, v’echad tam, v’echad she-aino yod’ea lish’ol.” I… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Ethics, Freedom, Health Care, Holidays, Jewish Education, Justice, Leadership, Pesach, Spirituality, Study, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, USA
March 24, 2020

Temporary Work Available: Valves for Respirators

Passing along from Rev. Tanya Rasmussen: Parker-Hannifin is a company in Hollis, NH, that makes valves that go into the life-saving medical ventilator machines that are in such short supply. They are in need of temps right now. If you know someone that is looking to work 1st or 2nd shift on the production floor… Continue reading

Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Health Care, USA
February 9, 2020

Why I Am Voting for Sen. Klobuchar This Tuesday

#thinkinparagraphs For my NH undecided friends, and for people out there in states voting soon who haven’t picked a candidate: I’m not registered as a member of a political party, but on Tuesday I am going to take a Democratic ballot and vote for Sen. Amy Klobuchar. I didn’t decide finally until about a week… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Election, Ethics, Freedom, Health Care, Islam, Israel, Jerusalem, Justice, Leadership, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Tzedek, USA
February 9, 2020

How I Decide Who to Vote For

This is an attempt to write down something I’ve never written out before: how I decide whom to vote for in elections for national office. This is how I understand what I am doing. There’s plenty here to discuss or argue about. Voting is in one way the most morally consequential thing we do. The… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Election, Ethics, Freedom, Health Care, History, Immigration, Inclusion, Islam, Israel, Justice, Leadership, Money, Peace, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedakah, Tzedek, USA
March 12, 2018

Resources Related to End-of-Life Planning

I am putting this up in connection with my RISE course about autonomy and medical ethics. Here are two resources I mentioned that are worth looking at and printing out: The Conversation Project starter kit — a step-by-step guide for preparing to have a conversation with any loved one about your end-of-life desires or your… Continue reading

Bioethics, Current Affairs, End of Life, Health Care
November 18, 2016

An Open Letter to Speaker Paul Ryan

This is a letter that I am mailing and publishing, prompted by the appointment of Stephen Bannon as chief strategist for President-Elect Trump. It reflects my personal political perspective and my own read on what Mr. Bannon represents, which overlap but are not the same as many of my friends and readers. I will also be sending… Continue reading

Abuse, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Election, Ethics, Freedom, GLBT, Health Care, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Justice, Lashon Hara, Leadership, Peace, Rabbi, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedakah, Tzedek, USA
October 14, 2016

Yom Kippur Sermon and Sukkot

I've posted my Yom Kippur sermon, a reflection related to the election year and my previous post. Also I have some material on the site here related to Sukkot, the festival that begins Sunday night. Chag Sameach! Continue reading

Calendar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Election, Freedom, Health Care, High Holidays, Holidays, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Islam, Justice, Leadership, Rabbi, Sukkot, Taking Sides, Temple Beth Abraham, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur
July 27, 2016

Jewish, Liberal, and Conservative

This is a version of a section of the sermon I delivered last year on Yom Kippur. While I wrote it originally before any of the primary voting took place, I still think it helps clarify some of the choices before us in 2016. I welcome comments, and hope you will share this widely within… Continue reading

Community Relations, Current Affairs, Election, Freedom, Health Care, Holocaust, Inclusion, Leadership, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Tzedek, USA
January 28, 2014

Learning from the Tragedy of Marlise Munoz z”l

Last weekend the tragedy of the Munoz family in Texas came to an end. Marlise was a woman, a wife and mother, who was pregnant when she collapsed at home last November 28 and was taken to the hospital. She was declared dead at the hospital on the basis of a standard known as “brain… Continue reading

Current Affairs, Ethics, Health Care, Science, Soul