Purim: We’re Still Here The Purim story ominously portrays a serious and massive antisemitic event. And while the biblical book of Esther is a work of fiction, its story has shaped Jewish consciousness and our approach to antisemitism. Let’s begin by acknowledging that this austere and grim tale is...
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...
Dear Am HaYam family, I returned home last Sunday from a family simcha, and was under the weather. I am still recovering, but wanted to send you another note before Shabbat (It is Thursday, 10/19). I understand the Israel Solidarity Gathering that was hosted at Temple Beth Torah, and which...
Dear Am HaYam family, I wanted to follow-up my initial response to last Saturday’s brutal attacks on Israel. As you know the attacks came not only on Shabbat, but on the holy day of Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. At the time of writing this (Wednesday evening) more than 1,200...
Dear Am HaYam Family: We have all been in agony since hearing the news of the coordinated Hamas terror attacks on Israel on the holy day of Sh’mini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. While we celebrated both days on Shabbat, for many Jews outside of Israel, the holy day period actually ended Sunday...
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...
Rabbi’s Recent Letter to Our Am HaYam Family Dear Am HaYam Family, On a recent Shabbat, we read in the Torah, Parashat Va-Et-chanan, the following: וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִ֖וא לֵאמֹֽר׃ I [Moses] sought out myself to G!d at that time. Rabbi Israel Salanter, the great 19th-century figure, posed the question,...
As the saying goes, spring has sprung. And, for many folks, with spring comes spring cleaning. Of course, with spring also comes Pesach (Passover). To me, that’s no coincidence. There is nothing quite like having to clean the house for Passover. The process of kashering the home for the holiday...
A story emerged from Russia years ago that expresses a truth about Jewish life and the importance of Israel. The secret police in the Soviet Union knocked upon the door of a Russian Jew. They accused him of corresponding with a foreign agent named Rabinovitz in the state of Israel....
Tu B’Shvat And The Lorax by Maayan Lev Tu B’Shevat, the New Year Of The Trees, is approaching (February 5-6). It functions much like a Jewish Arbor Day. There are many ways to mark this day. You can plant trees. You can have a Tu B’shevat seder (as we will...
