My recent posts...843 Days Ran Gvili, an Israeli police officer, was killed by Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel on October 7, 2023. His body was taken into Gaza to be used as a pawn in the terrorists’ anticipated negotiations with Israel and as a tool for waging...

My recent posts...Arson in Mississippi Click here to help rebuild Beth Israel. The Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, was founded in 1860 by German Jewish immigrants, and soon after purchased land for a cemetery. By the end of 1862, fifteen Jewish...

A complete shiv’a (Hebrew for “seven”) is really four whole days. The day of the funeral counts as one, as does the morning of the seventh day. One day will be Shabbat, with no outward observance of mourning. Just four full days.

My recent posts...The headline could have read: Worst Massacre Since the Previous Massacre Waking up to news of a mass shooting at a Chabad-organized Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia, I checked some online news sources. Associated Press reported that the Australian...

My recent posts...Simchat Torah 5786 Oh, how we danced, we laughed, we sang, celebrated, snacked and schnapped — it was Simchat Torah! Still, on Tuesday night, even with the exuberance and levity, even with the Torah scrolled to the very end (which is actually a new...

My recent posts...This letter is not likely to appear in The New York Times, to which it is addressed. "Free Palestine" To the Editor: The keys to a state of Palestine — without preconditions, negotiations or genuine expectations — are being handed to a putative...

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,...

My recent posts...

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...