This morning Judy and I are recounting and reliving the Installation program yesterday. I don’t have enough vocabulary in any language to share with you how very much I was and am touched by the ceremony, the program and everyone’s support. It was a program and ceremony I’ll remember and...
My friends, Living here in Southern California, all of us have experienced earthquakes, large and small. We know from our own experiences how very scary on a visceral level it is to have the very earth itself moving. We’ve seen the damage and devastation up close and would never...
My friends, It is not my nature to engage in discussion of American politics and elections in my role as rabbi. I firmly believe each person, each voter can and should make up their own minds. When it comes to matters of law and policy in America, there is a...
We’ve just passed the holiday of חג האביב-The Spring holiday, commonly called Passover or פסח. We observe at Passover the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. But we also note that group leaving Egypt was a very long way from being unified, from feeling peoplehood, let alone nationhood. At...
My friends, The cooking and cleaning are done, getting ready to search for the chametz and preparing to burn it. Above all, it is the eve of the holiday of Passover, when we celebrate our leaving Egypt and going from darkness to light. As our fathers and mothers...
By the time this edition of the Migdalor is released, we will be just about to enter the space for the חג האביב-The Spring Holiday, of Passover. The planning and cleaning and cooking should all be done. We are prepared to welcome the holiday, welcome our guests and even the...
As we learned on Groundhog Day, our friend Punxsutawney Phil (the world famous weather predicting Groundhog), winter will continue for another 6 weeks. But in our Jewish world, we endure the cold, wind and rain and we have entered the month of Adar. Our expression from the Talmud, tractate Taanit...
My friends, Normally for Shabbat, I strive to take a break from the news and the constant news updates we receive both on TV and online. But with news of the strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, being updated became a matter of urgency. For some...
Last month Rabbi Ron wrote about his visit to Navel Base Ventura County. You can see the post here. We wanted to share this thank you note from the Command Chaplain.
My friend, in Judaism we are commanded to ‘remember’. Remembrance is a major focus of who we are and how we recall where we came from. Today is the day in 1945 that Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army from the Nazis. When I took part in March of...
