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Oct 21, 2025
This week’s Torah portion tells the story of the great flood. The world had become corrupt, immoral and incorrigible. Even God’s infinite patience could not handle that...
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Oct 14, 2025
On a visit to the zoo, a fellow went to see the Ape House. There sat a gorilla holding two books, one in each hand. In his right hand, he held a Bible, and in his left hand a copy of...
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Sep 22, 2025
Who do you think was the single most influential person in human history?
I looked through many lists that have been compiled over the years. Some focus on religious leaders like...
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Sep 16, 2025
Why are we here? What is our purpose in life?
Of course, these are the most existential questions people often think about, especially when they’re young and...
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Sep 9, 2025
So there’s yet another “peace deal” on the table between Israel and Hamas. I can’t say I have any sense of optimism whatsoever, U.S. President Donald...
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Aug 19, 2025
Behold, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing that you will listen to the commandments of God, … and the curse if you do not.” These are the...
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Jun 12, 2025
We Jews often look at worldwide trends and have the feeling, whether articulated or not, that it’s not our problem. It could never happen to us. Could it occur in our...
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Jun 5, 2025
Jews are currently in the afterglow of Shavuot, when we commemorate the great revelation at Sinai, where the entire nation of Israel—millions of men, women and...
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May 29, 2025
I knew a rabbi who loved food and would always say that Shavuot was his favorite holiday. Why? He explained, “On Passover, you can eat where you want, but you may not eat what...
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May 8, 2025
If I asked you to name the most famous line in the Bible, what would you answer? While Shema Yisrael (“Hear O’Israel”) might get many votes, I imagine...
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May 1, 2025
As a rabbi, I’ve often had to juggle conflicting life-cycle events in a single day. I’ve gone from a funeral to a wedding, from a brit milah to an unveiling,...
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Apr 17, 2025
How important is tradition in Judaism? Obviously, the answer is that it is very important. I mean, they even dedicated a major song by that title in “Fiddler on the...
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Apr 3, 2025
Passover is around the corner, and I will be so presumptuous as to suggest that you may have opened your favorite Haggadah to have a look and start preparing for the big seder...
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Mar 27, 2025
There have been a variety of inquiries and investigations into the reasons that Israel was so shockingly vulnerable to the unprecedented terrorist attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023....
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Mar 20, 2025
This week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel, tells the story of how the Jewish people fulfilled the instructions of God to build the very first house of God in history....
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Feb 20, 2025
When it comes to religion, how much is belief, and how much is rational? Is Judaism a rational religion? Does being religious require a leap of faith?
Perhaps other faiths do. I...
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Feb 13, 2025
Have you ever met a professor of comparative religion? I’ve often wondered whether these academics have really studied all religions and if they believe in any of them.
In this...
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Jan 23, 2025
People say that “it’s better to do the right thing for the wrong reasons than the wrong thing for the right reasons.” But surely, everyone would agree that we...
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Jan 9, 2025
As a rule, when people choose to embrace their heritage and begin practicing their faith seriously, rabbis suggest a step-by-step approach. In our Jewish journeys, “instant...
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Jan 3, 2025
Shock and humiliation! Can you imagine how the brothers must have felt at that moment of truth? How deeply ashamed they must have been. Their little brother of 17 is now in his 30s...
