01
May
Dear Friends,
There’s a concept in our tradition of “Or LaGoyim”. It is rooted in an ancient prophecy of Isaiah, the prophet. He understood that the behavior of our nation has the capacity to shine...
17
Apr
Dear Friends,
I have learned a few things as I have gotten a little older. One is that among the most important gifts that a person can give another is the gift of time. Being present, listening,...
03
Apr
Mark Twain once said “A man is self-made like a chicken is self-laid.” In his wisdom, he was teaching us how we really are the sum total of the influences and natures of our history and our biology....
27
Mar
Dear Friends,
I recently read two separate articles that seem to conflict about parental responsibilities and parental involvement in children’s lives.
The first article was about the creation of “safe spaces” on university campuses. These are...
13
Mar
Dear Friends,
Although I write to everyone, I know that my letters are, at times, more appropriate for particular demographics. Today, I write to young fathers in particular…
In a class this week I was teaching about gender...
06
Mar
Dear Friends,
What an incredible week we had here at B'nai Torah! At one moment during the many celebrations and great experiences, I was sitting in the back of the hall watching beautiful children in...
20
Feb
Dear Friends,
This past week I read that a space agency was taking applications from the first group of people who want to colonize Mars. Imagine?
The most outstanding dimension of the process, in my mind, was...
13
Feb
Dear Friends,
There’s a rabbinic statement: “Mitzvah gorreret mitzvah, Aveirah gorreret aveirah.” It refers to the fact that a mitzvah (the fulfillment of an obligation or the doing of a good deed) leads to doing...
06
Feb
Dear Friends,
I have said and written this before. When things in the world seem so huge and so out of control, we as individuals can begin to feel small, inconsequential, or even helpless. But there are a few things we...
30
Jan
Dear Friends,
On Tuesday, the world marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It was the end of one of the blackest moments in the history of humanity. Auschwitz has come to symbolize the depths...
16
Jan
Dear Friends,
Do you know what “Cathy Time” is?
At B'nai Torah, there are periods of “Cathy Time” each week when the Director of our Mirochnick Religious School, Cathy Berkowitz, teaches, sings and tells stories to the children - not...
16
Jan
Dear Friends,
So much happening in the world. Many of the events are on a global scale with profound implications for our future. This Shabbat, we will talk about some of them; particularly the terror...
09
Jan
Dear Friends,
Once again terrorists have struck this week. First at the French satirical newspaper office, killing and maiming innocents; and then at the heart of Jewish Paris, attacking and attempting to take hostages of Jews shopping as...
02
Jan
Dear Friends,
I was sitting with family on the night of New Year’s Eve and someone asked the following question to all those around the table: “What do you predict for the year ahead?”
The end...