Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

The Spectrum of Kashrut As many of you are aware, I have been leading a conversion class this year. That course will conclude its twentieth and final session on April 25. On May 8, members of that group and their families will travel to Wilmette where they will go before a Bet Din and immerse…

Freedom to ….. This is the season of freedom. This week, hundreds of thousands of college students will unloosen the fetters of the chains of their college classes and head for the warm climates of Florida, Texas and Mexico for the annual rite of “Spring Break”. These young people are continuing a cultural tradition that…

Moses’ Absence This Monday night is the beginning of Passover. Around the world millions of Jews will be sitting down with friends and family to the Passover Seder.  Attending a Passover Seder is probably the one Jewish ritual that almost all Jewish people fulfill every year. They may not come to synagogue, they may not…

A Call to Leadership March 17 marks an important anniversary in Jewish history of the 20th century.  March 17 is the 21rst anniversary of the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The attack killed 29 people and injured 250 others. Among the victims were Israeli diplomats, children, clergy from the church located…

A preacher went into his church and he was praying to God. While he was praying, he asked God, “How long is 10 million years to you?” G-d replied, “1 second.” The next day the preacher asked God, “God, how much is 10 million dollars to you?” And G-d replied, “A penny.” Then finally the…

 On Wednesday morning, I woke up, opened my email, and my heart sank. There it was, a message   I did not want to see — Pages and pages with the words, “Mailer-Daemon Failure Notice.” My email had been hacked yet again. My privacy had been violated.  A message that I had not sent had been…

Last week Pope Benedict shocked the world by announcing his retirement.  As you know, he will become the first Pope in some 600 years who does not die in office. Since that time, there have been many articles analyzing this decision and the legacy that Pope Benedict would leave. One such article in the Chicago…

Crossing Over to Idolatry Two events stunned the world of sports this week, both off the playing field. This week Lance Armstrong, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, admitted to what he had adamantly denied over the course of his illustrious career — that he was a user of performance enhancing drugs while he was…

Turning Points   When it comes to forgiveness from G-d, is there a point of no return? We are taught repeatedly in Judaism that G-d wants our repentance.  We read that the gates of forgiveness by G-d are always open.  That even if a person repents the day before their death, that repentance is accepted.…

To Your Own Self Be True There was once a king who ruled his kingdom with wisdom and compassion. As he approached the end of his days, everyone in the kingdom wondered who would be the next ruler. Would it be one of his children? An adviser? A general? As the king lay on his…