A few words to share about Texas and its recent tragic events. My friends, On the 4th of July we celebrate the birthday of the United States. At times the word “United” feels like a reach. But in times of trouble, Americans have always looked after and cared for each...
As I sit down to write my article for the bulletin, I am realizing that this will be the last time I write to you as your rabbi. As I take my leave, I’d like to do one more teaching if I may. The rabbis tell us that whenever two...
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...
Every year around this time things start to look a bit different. The days get longer, the sun gets a bit stronger and everywhere you go you can experience the sights, sounds, and smells of spring. Spring is a time of rebirth. This year we had one of the coldest...
When Adar enters, joy increases Talmud Bavli Ta’anit 29a At the end of February, we enter into a time of celebration and rejoicing as we dress up and observe the holiday of Purim. Purim is a holiday that commemorates reversals of fortunes. We celebrate that we survived another attempt to...
In a matter of days it will be the beginning of February and we will look to the prognosticator of prognosticators to tell us whether or not we have six more weeks of winter. I can say with a great amount of certainty that I would love to think that...
Shana tova, happy New year! Can you believe it’s 2025! If wishing a happy new year feels a bit redundant it might be because we just experienced the beginning of a new year as recently as October. As Jews, we are lucky. We get to celebrate New Year’s twice in...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. At the end of this month, we will begin celebrating the holiday of Chanukah. Known as The Festival of Lights, the Chanukah story retells the Maccabees rebellion during the time of the Greek Empire. If we look back at history at the...
This holiday is a tricky one. During any other celebration, the mere date and time dictate what the holiday is. Rosh Hashanah is about the beginning of the year, Passover is about our peoples’ exodus from Egypt. Even Yom Kippur, we are given a way to navigate the commandment to...
Ahhhhhhh. We can finally take a deep breath. The holidays are behind us. We came through them a little wiser, a little more introspective (and maybe a little heavier). In the rush of activity with the holidays, with all of the havoc it played on our schedules, we might not...
