Coming into the New Year, I thought I’d begin by actually sharing some insights from Torah. I know its a bit of a radical idea, a rabbi sharing thoughts from scripture, but there are two readings that sit with me and we did not have a chance to meet in...
Congratulations, you’ve finished your taxes for the year! You’ve filled out your paperwork and now you’re just waiting (wishing?) for that big tax refund you’re going to get! But how are you going to spend it? Even if you’re not expecting a refund from the IRS, if you had some...
This has been a rough year for the Jewish people. After seeing something like this, it gives us pause to wonder what will become of the human race. It makes us worry for the world we will leave for our children and their children after them. There is a rabbinic...
The Value of the Violin in You The story is told of the great Jewish-born violinist Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962).[1] Some critics had suggested that the only reason he made such beautiful music was because of the Stradivarius he played. So on one particular concert night, Kreisler enraptured the audience with...
The Witness of Conscience Our tradition tells of a certain rabbi with a strict sense of justice. Far and wide he was known as an incorruptible judge. One day his own wife raised an outcry because she believed that the housekeeper had stolen a piece of jewelry that was of...
STARTING OVER Every morning, weekday or Shabbat, we Jews traditionally praise G!d as m’chadesh ma’asei v’reishit, “the Renewer of Creation.”[1] G!d fashions something new each and every day. That includes renewing us, so that we can live out in wholeness what life may bring us this, and every, day. We...
The biblical figure of Joseph is very good at waiting. Not in his youth, of course: the young Joseph cannot help but blurt out his dreams, no matter how offensive they might be to his listeners. With the hard knocks of living, however, he learns the art and wisdom of...
Ne’ilah: Goldberg’s Pencils (delivered by Rabbi J.B. Sacks on September 25, 2023) A reporter traveled across the country in search of interesting stories. She arrived at a small town in the Midwest. At first, it seemed like every other town she had visited. However, one thing was different: No...
T’shuvah: Time for a Tune-Up The buzz word during these days of preparation for the High Holy Days is the Hebrew word t’shuvah. Most translations render the word “repentance,” but that is, at best, a pallid attempt to convey the richness of the Hebrew original. The English “repentance” means “feeling...
A tourist arrived in Taos, New Mexico, and found himself in a hotel room with a huge picture window overlooking a beautiful mountain. The tourist said to their spouse: “It would be a nice view, but I can’t see the scenery because that big mountain is in the way.” We...
