Teacher-Student Relationship

October 17, 2025

What Vivian Paley Taught Me About Parashat Bereshit

Here is my D’var Torah for Parashat Bereshit back in 5782 (2021). ***** This is the book of the stories of humanity — on the day God created humanity, in the divine image did God create it, male and female God created them. (Genesis 5:1) “We must talk about cleanup,” I say one day at… Continue reading

Bereshit, Education, Equality, Ethics, Parashat Hashavua, Teacher-Student Relationship, Youth
September 26, 2025

Rosh Hashanah D’var Torah Day 1 — Moral Autobiography

This is my D’var Torah from the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5786 (2025). One of the best questions I was asked all year came at a training in April with an organization called Resetting the Table. Resetting the Table teaches people how to transform toxic divides into a shared future, and one of the… Continue reading

Current Affairs, Education, Ethics, High Holidays, Holidays, Israel, Jewish Education, Justice, Lech L’cha, Middot, Rosh Hashanah, Teacher-Student Relationship, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, USA, Vayera, Yamim Noraim, 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
February 24, 2022

My Testimony on “Divisive Concepts”

I testified at two committees of the New Hampshire legislature on bills to change or repeal our new "divisive concepts" law — Senate Judiciary and House Education. I said essentially the same things at both hearings. Here it is, video and my written statement (they are the same). Mr. Chairman and Honored Representatives: Thank… Continue reading

#integratingamerica, 9/11, Antisemitism, Books, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Education, Equality, Ethics, Freedom, History, Holocaust, Hope, Immigration, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Jewish Education, Justice, Leadership, Study, Taking Sides, Teacher-Student Relationship, Tikkun Olam, Tzedek, USA, 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
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, 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
May 18, 2020

Celebrating 25 Years Since Ordination

25 years ago today we received our degrees from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and became rabbis and cantors for the Jewish people. Some reminiscences and reflections, I am sure I will have more, maybe a sermon this Saturday… The best part of the week was that Laurie also got her MBA from Columbia.… Continue reading

Conservative Judaism, Jewish Education, Leadership, Rabbi, Study, Teacher-Student Relationship, Torah
November 26, 2018

Christmas Season Tips for Public Educators

Feel free to repost and forward this widely. I have a version of the exact same thing in a Word doc here as well. With Thanksgiving just behind us, the Christmas season seems already in full swing. Did you know that in New Hampshire, only 60% of adults identify as Christian? About 5-10% identify specifically… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Chanuka, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Freedom, Holidays, Inclusion, Interfaith Dialogue, Peace, Teacher-Student Relationship, Tikkun Olam, USA, Youth
May 31, 2018

Bring Philip Roth to Shul Day

This was my Dvar Torah on May 26, for Parashat Naso. I know one person, and maybe only one, who would have loved the beginning of this Torah reading – Philip Roth, the great American Jewish author who died this week at the age of 85. He was not really a Torah person, but the… Continue reading

Books, Conservative Judaism, Current Affairs, Heschel, Jewish Education, Naso, Parashat Hashavua, Teacher-Student Relationship, USA
April 25, 2018

For Our Lives

My D'var Torah on March 24, 2018, the day of the national "March for Our Lives" after the Parkland school shooting. Somewhere in America, for fifteen years a fifth-grade teacher used to conclude the week on Friday the same way. She would ask her students to write down the names of four children they’d like… Continue reading

Current Affairs, Teacher-Student Relationship, Tikkun Olam, Youth
February 12, 2013

Rabbi David Hartman z”l

On Sunday, Am Yisrael lost a true a gadol, a great man and teacher: Rabbi David Hartman. Rabbi Hartman, originally from Canada, made his home in Jerusalem, and created the Shalom Hartman Institute. SHI is a modern Orthodox, progressive think tank that generates unbelievable work on moral and political thought, the meaning of Zionism, and… Continue reading

Current Affairs, Ethics, Feminism, Interfaith Dialogue, Israel, Jewish Education, Study, Teacher-Student Relationship, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Torah
June 26, 2009

Parashat Korach — Docent, Cheerleader, Coach…Rabbi

Parashat Korach opens with a challenge to Moshe and Aharon, led by a Levite named Korach. "You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the congregation of Adonai?" On the face of it, the argument… Continue reading

Korach, Parashat Hashavua, Rabbi, Teacher-Student Relationship, Temple Beth Abraham, Torah