Dear friends, 2024 is around the corner, and as we come to the end of this calendar year we are conveniently coming to the end of Genesis too. Parashat Vayechi concludes the saga that brought us from Abraham to Joseph, from Eden to Egypt, and it is a wellspring
When I was growing up, we had a tall, narrow, vaguely stable Chanukiah. Often, we would light it on the dinner table, recite the blessings, and then move the menorah not to the windowsill but to the kitchen sink. We had an electric menorah by the windows, lighting up
In the 1990s, the book “The Five Love Languages” tried to teach us how different behaviors communicate our commitments to one another. Those languages were words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Each different language had the ability to bring someone closer to their
It is said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. When philosopher George Santayana wrote a version of these words in the early 1900s, he was hoping to write a treatise to convince people to act with morality without the need or influence
Dear Friends, This Shabbat we have the additional blessing of celebrating two holidays in one: Rosh HaShanah and Shabbat. Writing this before we even begin the holidays, I still know that our celebrations will be wonderful. They’ll be filled with warmth, joy, and spirituality. We’ll celebrate with family, music,
I’m pretty sure it was a coincidence: I was getting ready to write this week’s Shabbat message on Parashat Matot-Masei and the symbolism of the cities of refuge. On my way to the computer, however, my toe caught the corner of the desk. Ow! And, just as much as
This week we are relearning a difficult lesson: achieving a goal is less important than the process of achieving said goal. The story of Korach's rebellion against Moses and Aaron serves as a poignant reminder that our focus should not solely be on the outcome but on the journey
This week, we begin the fourth (and probably least well-known) book of the Torah. The Book of Numbers, known in Hebrew as B'midbar, describes the continuing journey of the Israelites through the wilderness. While often overlooked, this fourth book of the Torah can serve as a model for how
Playing "Jewish Geography" is often a fun game for Jewish professionals. We sit around asking about various relations, friends, and associations trying to see how many people we have in common. Often, I like to joke that, whereas in the secular world common wisdom says that it only takes
Often, when we’re taught about our own biology in grade school we’re taught about one process at a time – the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, the nervous system; each of these taught individually and often separately from all the other systems in our bodies. Even our senses –
