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I Have a Confession
Those of us who have attended Yom Kippur services may be familiar with the term Vidui (vee-DOO-ee) — confession. The prayers that make up the Vidui are recited ten times over the course of Yom Kippur! The best‑known among them are Ashamnu and Al Chet — the latter more familiar to many by its English…
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A Judaism without Israel?
In his great legal code, the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides praises the discipline of silence: “One should always cultivate silence and refrain from speaking, except about matters of knowledge or things necessary for one’s physical welfare. It was said that Rav, the disciple of our saintly teacher Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, never uttered an idle word in…
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The Enduring Power of Study
Our Torah reading this week begins, “If you walk in My ordinances and fulfill My commandments…” before proceeding to list the blessings that follow. Rashi explains that “walking in My ordinances” refers to diligent Torah study, while “fulfilling My commandments” refers to performing mitzvot. The Talmud makes a striking distinction between these two categories. Although…
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Rising to the Occasion
Our Torah reading for this week opens with the words: “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: A priest shall not defile himself among his people.” The Torah then prohibits priests from coming into contact with the dead, except for seven close relatives — wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother,…
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On Israel’s 78th Birthday
Last Tuesday we celebrated the 78th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. This comes at a time when there has been a notable shift in the feelings of Americans toward the State. A Pew research poll conducted on April 7 of this year found that 60% of Americans have an unfavorable view…
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A Family Milestone
Last Monday night, Middy and I received a call from my nephew with wonderful news: he and his wife are expecting a baby. Their joy quickly became ours, filling our family with hope for the future. I cannot help but wish that this happy moment might inspire others in the younger generation to begin families…
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The Rivers May Rise and Rage (Psalm 93)
Middy and I returned last week from a Jewish Heritage Tour of Argentina. After spending a week in Buenos Aires, we flew to Iguazu Falls on the Argentina-Brazil border. This natural wonder is comprised of around 275 individual waterfalls ranging from 200 to 270 feet. It is truly spectacular, jaw dropping. There is something primordial…
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The Real Purpose of the Seder
This Wednesday evening, Jews around the world will gather with family and friends to celebrate Passover. The tradition of the Seder stretches back two millennia, if not more. But what is its primary purpose? It may not be what we usually assume. Rather than simply remembering the Exodus, the deeper purpose of the Seder is…
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Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue
This week my wife and I are on a Jewish Heritage Tour of Argentina. On Tuesday we visited the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), the Jewish Community Center that was bombed in 1994. By coincidence, I came across a sermon I wrote exactly thirteen years ago to the day. Here is the opening of that…
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