Jewish Education

September 12, 2021

Tov! Podcast Chapter 6 — Promises

The new episode is published!!! Listen and read the show notes here! Rabbi Dan Ross and I co-host once again. On “The Good Place”, Eleanor tries both to keep and not keep her promises to Michael — and on the podcast, Dan and I trade stories of dog-watching gone wrong and explore why promising is such… Continue reading

Calendar, Elul, Ethics, High Holidays, Holidays, Jewish Education, Middot, Rosh Hashanah, Study, Television, Torah, Tov! Podcast, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
September 10, 2021

Integrating America: The Connected Critic

Leslie and I experimented with the readings for a short opening unit on how to study America. I advocated the first year for excerpts from the political philosopher Michael Walzer's Interpretation and Social Criticism. Walzer articulated the idea of the "connected critic", someone who was inside a society enough to be committed to its people and its… Continue reading

#integratingamerica, Books, Current Affairs, Education, Equality, Ethics, Freedom, History, Inclusion, Jewish Education, Justice, Study, Teens, Tikkun Olam, Tzedek, USA, Youth
September 2, 2021

Tov! Podcast Chapter 5 Is Published!

That's Rabbi Sari Laufer, my partner for Chapter 5 of Tov! "To Measure or Not to Measure" — on “The Good Place” Eleanor is excited when she is polite for the first time without thinking, Tahani’s philanthropy doesn't score enough points with her parents or the algorithm, and Chidi doesn’t find pleasure in doing the… Continue reading

Education, Elul, Ethics, Foregiveness, Hasidism, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Jewish Education, Middot, Movies, Rosh Hashanah, Soul, Study, Television, Torah, Tov! Podcast, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
August 18, 2021

Tov! Podcast Chapter 3 Is Up!

On “The Good Place” Michael tries to guide Chidi and Janet toward new things, but it’s Eleanor who finds unexpected inspiration because of Tahani. So on the podcast, Jon Spira-Savett and Audrey Marcus Berkman explore reincarnation Jewish-style and who the teacher you need turns out to be. Continue reading

Calendar, Education, Elul, Ethics, Foregiveness, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Jewish Education, Leadership, Middot, Rosh Hashanah, Soul, Spirituality, Study, Talmud, Teacher-Student Relationship, Television, Teshuvah, Torah, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
August 8, 2021

Launching Tov! The Podcast About “The Good Place” and Jewish Ideas

If you're a fan of "The Good Place" and at all connected to Jews or Judaism, try out my new podcast that I'm creating with a bunch of colleagues! Tov! is on all the major podcast platforms, and it will be a fun and interesting way to explore some Jewish texts and ideas. Check out the… Continue reading

Calendar, Education, Ethics, Foregiveness, Gossip, Harry Potter, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Jewish Education, Lashon Hara, Leadership, Middot, Rosh Hashanah, Soul, Study, Talmud, Television, Teshuvah, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Web/Tech, Weblogs, Yamim Noraim, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
April 1, 2021

Clubhouse Experiment Friday 4/2 at 1:00 pm — Help Me Finish My D’var Torah!

I'm going to dip my toes into Clubhouse this week, and talk with anyone who shows up about the D'var Torah I promised to complete when I spoke last week. If you're on Clubhouse find my room "Help Me Write My Shabbat Sermon!" Friday at 1pm eastern time. Or feel free to read this and… Continue reading

Calendar, Current Affairs, Freedom, Holidays, Jewish Education, Justice, Patience, Study, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, USA
March 26, 2021

Pesach Community Message 5781

This is the note I sent out to our congregation on Friday, March 26, 2021 as we get ready for Pesach to begin. Dear Friends: I have a short Pesach agenda to share with you below, but first: I realized a couple days ago how much I want Pesach this year to be like Chanukkah. There's no way, at… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Food, Freedom, History, Holidays, Jewish Education, Justice, Pesach, Ritual, Study
March 25, 2021

Figuring Out the Talmud’s Last Page on Pesach

Here is a Passover puzzle I was trying to solve today at our siyyum (completion of a section of Torah study) to undo the fast of the first-born (that’s a whole other story). It is the last teaching of Massechet Pesachim, the Talmudic book about Passover. Rav Simlai attended a pidyon ha-ben, the ceremony… Continue reading

Books, Calendar, Daf Yomi, Freedom, Holidays, Jewish Education, Pesach, Talmud, Youth
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
January 28, 2021

Remembering Debbie Friedman on Her 10th Yahrzeit

I gave this D'var Torah on Saturday morning, January 23, on the Shabbat before Debbie Friedman's 10th yahrzeit. On a Sunday night in early January 25 years ago, Laurie and I were living in Queens and there was a big Nor’easter brewing. Some of you may remember, it came all the way up here –… Continue reading

Education, Feminism, Holidays, Inclusion, Jewish Education, Music, Prayer, Soul, Spirituality, Study, Synagogue, Theology, Torah, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
January 11, 2021

Synagogue Collaboration — The Next Level

One of the great surprises of the pandemic has been a new kind of sustained, intense collaboration among Jewish professionals based in synagogues. Denominational networks, cohort programs such as those from the Center for Rabbinic Innovation, and sharing platforms like JEDLAB and eJewish Philanthropy are one part of the story. Something more bottom-up happened between Pesach and Rosh… Continue reading

Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Jewish Education, Leadership, Synagogue, Synaplex
December 29, 2020

Disrupting Texts is a Tradition — My Hosea Story

A Facebook post by a congregant highlighted a controversy around an initiative called #DisruptTexts, and my response to it was going to be much longer than a typical FB comment. #DisruptTexts as a specific project isn’t something I had heard of, but as I skimmed the website the other day it certainly doesn’t seem brand… Continue reading

Abuse, B’midbar, Books, Current Affairs, Education, Ethics, Feminism, Foregiveness, Jewish Education, Justice, Leadership, Numbers, Parashat Hashavua, Prophets, Ritual, Study, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teens, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, USA, Young Jewish Adult, Youth