Spirituality

October 23, 2025

The Baal Shem Tov: The Ark as a Metaphor for a Word of Prayer

I taught this for Parashat Noach in 5781 (2020), sometime after accidentally stumbling into this teaching in a book of the Baal Shem Tov’s comments about the Torah. In the section on Noach, he inserts a long treatise on prayer. I want to share a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov about tefillah, about prayer,… Continue reading

Noach, Noah, Parashat Hashavua, Prayer, Spirituality, Theology, Torah
August 2, 2024

Herds, Hearts, and Hashgacha: A D’var Torah on Mattot-Masei

Here is a D'var Torah for Parashiyot Mattot-Masei, the end of the book of B'midbar (Numbers), specifically chapter 32. The best two-word opening to a story probably in the whole Bible is cattle — lotsa! ומקנה רב umikneh rav. To me it’s right up there with “In the beginning” and “God tested Avraham.” The first… Continue reading

Calendar, High Holidays, Holidays, Mas’ei, Mattot, Moshe, Parashat Hashavua, Spirituality, Torah, Yamim Noraim
January 22, 2024

Exaggerating the Exodus: The Siddur Is the Opposite of the “Slave Bible”

This is a slightly revised version of a D'var Torah I gave on the Shabbat that was the last day of Pesach in 5782 (2022). Right before Pesach in 2022, a bunch of people mentioned to me an article they had seen from the New York Times by Rabbi Sharon Brous. Her piece referenced… Continue reading

Books, Calendar, Exodus, Freedom, History, Holidays, Hope, Justice, Pesach, Prayer, Spirituality, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek
November 24, 2023

Gratitude Is Our Name (Even Now)

This is my D’var Torah for Parashat Vayetze, “Shabbat Thanksgiving” 5784. I wrote it while feeling grateful for the hostages who have been returned, heartbroken for those still captive and the families not returned whole, and grateful for the naming celebration at services that particular Shabbat. It is Thanksgiving Shabbat and what a better time… Continue reading

Calendar, Current Affairs, Gratitude, Hakarat Hatov, Holidays, Israel, Parashat Hashavua, Patience, Spirituality, Tikkun Olam, Vayetze
October 4, 2023

Sukkot, Science and Religion

My extended D'var Torah on this topic at Sinai and Synapses! Continue reading

Calendar, Environment, High Holidays, History, Holidays, Prayer, Ritual, Science, Spirituality, Sukkot, Yamim Noraim
September 20, 2023

My Rosh Hashanah Sermons (5784/2023)

Read or watch/listen: Click to read the text of the sermons: Day 1 — Glimmers Day 2 — Through Regret Or watch or listen on YouTube: Continue reading

Calendar, Ethics, Foregiveness, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Joy, Middot, Peace, Prayer, Ritual, Rosh Hashanah, Spirituality, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedakah, Tzedek, Yamim Noraim, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
August 16, 2023

The Eye Inside the Eye

This was my D'var Torah for Parashat Re'eh last Shabbat, August 12, 2023. Two friends encounter each other late at night near the town square. It’s a classic small New England town, gazebo in the center, and it’s a particularly clear night, the new moon. The one finds the other kneeling down next to a… Continue reading

Calendar, High Holidays, Middot, Parashat Hashavua, Re’eh, Rosh Hashanah, Spirituality, Torah
December 22, 2022

This Chanukkah — Many Ideas

I am still trying to keep on top of my many channels, between this blog and the Tov! podcast and Temple Beth Abraham's site and blog, not to mention social media. (Not complaining!) I haven't put a link here yet to the many thematic Chanukkah-related writings I've got, some of them reposts from prior years and… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Chanuka, Chanukkah, Freedom, History, Holidays, Hope, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Jerusalem, Joy, Justice, Peace, Ritual, Spirituality, Study, Tikkun Olam, Torah, USA, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
October 1, 2022

My Rosh Hashanah Sermons From Last Week

Here are my sermons from Rosh Hashanah 5783: First day:Help Me Talk About What I've Been Through and Who I Am Second day:Right-ology: How to Be Right Better in the New Year Wishing everyone a Shana Tova Umetukah, a good and sweet new year! Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Election, Elul, Ethics, Gratitude, Hakarat Hatov, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Middot, Midrash, Prayer, Rosh Hashanah, Soul, Speech Ethics, Spirituality, Synagogue, Talmud, Teacher-Student Relationship, Television, Teshuvah, Theology, Torah, Tov! Podcast, USA, Yamim Noraim
September 7, 2022

Getting From Here to High Holy Days, Starting With a Party!

This is based on what I said on Shabbat morning, August 27, 2022 at the start of the month of Elul. It was the day of a Bar Mitzvah and an aufruf (blessing to a couple about to get married)! Usually I think of Elul as a time of introspection before we get together in… Continue reading

Calendar, Elul, Ethics, Gratitude, Hakarat Hatov, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Joy, Prayer, Ritual, Rosh Hashanah, Shabbat, Simcha, Soul, Spirituality, Study, Synagogue, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur
August 18, 2022

Your Unorthodox Theology Won’t Break Judaism

My D’var Torah from July 30, 2022 * 2 Av 5782 One of my favorite anecdotes about morning davvening (praying) comes from the Babylonian Talmud. Rabbi Chanina went to shul one day. This was some 1700 years ago, give or take, and at the time there were no siddurim (written prayerbooks). People who led knew the… Continue reading

Calendar, Elul, High Holidays, Holidays, Jewish Education, Prayer, Rabbi, Revelation, Rosh Hashanah, Spirituality, Synagogue, Theology, Tisha B’Av, Torah, Yamim Noraim
June 21, 2022

The Moral, the Political, and the Partisan

This was the D’var Torah I gave for Parashat Behar on May 21, 2022. The original text is below; an adaptation is in the video here, slightly updated in the fall of 2025. Whenever people suggest that Judaism could be separate from politics, I think about this week’s parasha. The Shabbaton and the Yovel (the… Continue reading

Behar, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Election, Ethics, Exodus, Freedom, Justice, Leadership, Middot, Parashat Hashavua, Spirituality, Teshuvah, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedakah, Tzedek, USA