Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

During the Festival of Succoth, the Rabbis ordained that we are to read the Book of Ecclesiastes—Kohelet, in Hebrew. It is a rather curious choice. Succoth is called “Zman Simchateinu”, the “Time of our Rejoicing”. It is the only Festival where we are commanded to be happy. The Book of Kohelet, on the other hand,…

How old were you when you knew you were Jewish? This was the question addressed to me by a teen in my synagogue’s confirmation class. I admit, it took me by surprise. It wasn’t at my bris — I do not remember that! But it was certainly before my first day of Hebrew School. I…

When I was seven years old, I began Hebrew school. On the first day our teacher, Mrs. Friedman, gave us an assignment: ask our parents what our Hebrew name was. When I asked my mom, she told me that I had been named after her mother, Mary Dora, and that my name was Mortka Dov.…

Avinu Malkenu is one of the most beloved melodies in our High Holiday liturgy. In ancient times, Jews in the Land of Israel would fast and recite this prayer during times of drought. The story is told in the Talmud that Rabbi Eliezer came before the ark at a time of drought and prayed 24…

Today I came upon an article by my colleague and friend Rabbi Steven (Simcha) Bob on the website http://www.TheTorah.com which is of timely interest. On Yom Kippur afternoon we chant the Book of Jonah for our Haftorah. Perhaps better known as a children’s story, the Book of Jonah raises some profound theological issues. Rabbi Bob…

I would like to share a beautiful story about the meaning of the call of the shofar. The story is from <Chabad.org> and was adapted by Suzie Jacobson for her study sheet on <Sefaria.org> The photo above, taken by my wife, Middy in our dining room, is of a shofar that we bought in Sefat…

Often, we can be “put off” by all of the different regulations that accompany Jewish observance. We may be afraid of making a mistake, of not performing a ritual in the correct way. This may result in us not doing it at all! Or we may feel that if we do not perform all of…

Theologian Judith Plaskow writes that it is inaccurate to understand the first verse of the Shema – that God is One – as a statement of numeric specificity.  Rather, she says, monotheism is about the capacity to glimpse the ONE in and through the changing form of the many, to see the whole in and…

The American Jewish writer Abigail Pogrebin wrote an article admitting that, despite attending services regularly for 8 years she was struggling to find in the observance of Shabbat the “supposed tranquility and blissful disconnection of Shabbat, what Abraham Joshua Heschel called, “the palace in time”. She says she can’t seem to pull off Shabbat. Yet…

My Mother is at the Bridge Table  by Leslea Newman My mother is at the bridge table with Loretta, Gert and Pearl, when my father finds his way to Heaven. “Sit down, dear,” she says, patting the seat beside her and barely looking up from the hand she’s been dealt. “The game is almost through.”…