I was recently invited to give the invocation at the annual JCC Sports Hall of Fame fundraiser dinner. I opened with the following story — There’s an old line that asks, “What does a Jewish woman make for dinner?” And the answer is: “Reservations.” I then proceeded to suggest a different punch …
November 21, 2009 We read in this morning’s Torah portion: Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am disgusted with my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob (our son) marries a Hittite woman like these, from among the native women, what good will life be to me?” So Isaac, being the good …
November 7, 2009 In a strange confluence of events we mark Veterans Day this week, a soldier has gone on a shooting rampage against fellow soldiers on an army base, and it is the Sabbath we read the Torah portion known as Akedat Yitzhak, the binding of Isaac. There are several times a …
October 24, 2009 I have often been perplexed by the story we read in today’s torah portion, the Tower of Babel. The people are united as one. They speak one language. They say the same words. They undertake a project, in which they want to build a tower which has the seemingly noble goal …
Yom Kippur Morning September 29, 2009 The themes of Yom Kippur have to do with repentance and introspection. It is a time to review our values and priorities, to renew and restore our ties to our people and heritage, when our thoughts focus on teshuva, turning and of seeking forgiveness. We accomplish these difficult …
Erev Yom Kippur September 27, 2009 It is widely believed that in his speech to the Moslem world delivered in Cairo this past June President Obama declared that the State of Israel was created in response to the Holocaust. The only thing is he didn’t say that. I went back and read and re-read …
Rosh Hashana September 20, 2009 In the spirit of the season, I have a confession to make. I think, though it may be best if I whisper it: Prayer is boring. There. I have said it. I have put our dirty little secret out there. I have admitted what many and maybe …
Rosh Hashana September 19, 2009 Each of us has different associations and connotations when we hear the word “grandparent.” I think of my grandmother, Grandma Bessie, with her heavy black corrective shoes and anklet white socks, small purse in hand, wearing a pin or brooch, looking kind of like, well, Golda Meir. The initial …
Erev Rosh Hashana September 18, 2009 How I love this season. I feel especially grateful to have the blessing of being a member of a people who sets aside these solemn days for intense personal introspection in the context of community. For me the High Holidays are like a pivotal fulcrum for the …
August 22, 2009 I have a confession to make: I am always a little bit nervous whenever this, the first bar mitzvah of the year rolls around. I am worried that I am rusty and a bit out of practice, since the last bar mitzvah I conducted, and the last sermon I wrote and …
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