My recent posts...This piece appeared in the recent issue of "Voice at the Shore." What Does “Good” Mean to You? I happily accepted the invitation to write a few words for the Rosh Hashana issue of Voice at the Shore. Then, I paused — there is so much to write about,...

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My recent posts...Small congregations Recently, Joe Rodgers and I participated in a modest Conference for Small Congregations organized by United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism. Some thirty rabbis and lay leaders — presidents, board members, an executive director...

My recent posts...Israel Attacks Iran I was home last night, working on translating an essay on Toledot, the Torah portion on which we’ll focus on Thursday evening (see below), when Ellie called out from the next room, “ISRAEL ATTACKED IRAN!” I caught Middle East...

My recent posts... Torah specials! As do all blessings, the bracha we recite before learning sacred text or topics begins with praise of Adonai our God. We then offer thanks for the opportunity to engage with words or teachings of Torah: la’asok b’divrei Torah, a text...

Like so many other commentators — ancient to modern — Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks elaborates on the construct of tzara’at, an unidentified skin ailment, as recompense for evil speech, lashon hara. Long-ago rabbinic wordplay connected tzara’at to words, speech, that can be hurtful. Aside from a clever acronymic derivation, why would the sages have focused on speech?

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Even if you don’t keep a kosher kitchen, and/or you don’t “convert” your kitchen for Pesach, there is still spiritual value in selling your chametz: You are engaging with myriad Jews worldwide in a practice that can be traced back to Torah and, if you include a donations to “ma’ot chitin,” you are enabling those in need to more fully celebrate Pesach.

There is a wealth of information about Pesach (and the challenges of this year) at Exploring Judaism.org.

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Today is Ta’anit Ester, a half-day fast in solidarity with the biblical Esther who orchestrated a three-day hunger strike to boost her chance of success in approaching the king without having been summoned, potentially a capital offense.

My recent posts...Another way to sing the end of the Torah service This Shabbat in Torah we read shirat hayam, the biblical song at the sea sung by the Israelites after crossing the reed sea. (Sound familiar? That's our synagogue name!) We use a couple of melodies for...