I once had a colleague that said- tongue and cheek- the reason he became a Rabbi was to make the service seem faster- since it always seems to progress more quickly when one is on the Bima. True, it does. But I quite like it in the pews as well, where I don’t have to …
Hate has no home here. I cannot repeat this statement often enough, forcefully enough or loudly enough. As we recognized Yom HaSHoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, this week, cried at the anti-Semitic terror attack on Chabad of Poway last Shabbat, were disappointed by two students at Whitman High School who posted a picture of themselves …
By Robin Jacobson. On a London train platform in the late 1930s, future children’s author Michael Bond noticed a sad huddle of Jewish refugee children with identity tags dangling from their necks. These vulnerable children inspired his beloved fictional character, Paddington, a young refugee bear who alights at Paddington Station wearing a tag with the …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. As we are in the midst of Passover, I am bringing a piece by Rabbi …
Rabbis and Cantors are known for reusing material for sermons, songs, teachings, concerts, what have you. I usually try to avoid that if I can absolutely help it; sometimes, though, if I get in a bind, I will bring something from one presentation and use it with another group. That being said, this throwaway line …
Gratitude is a very Jewish act. Too often, being grateful is lost in the business of life, the noisiness of expectations and the hubris of accomplishments. Our very name though, Jews or Yehudim, derive from a moment of extreme gratitude. In Genesis 29:35, Leah names one of her sons Judah as an act of praise. …
By Robin Jacobson. The Passover Seder is a night of questions – questions about the stories we inherit, the nature of Jewish identity, and what we owe to strangers who are oppressed or suffering. To stretch your mental muscles on these questions in advance of Passover, take a look at two compelling new memoirs: Inheritance: …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. This week is a piece from Sarah Tuttle-Singer who blogs from Israel for The …
When I was growing up in Baltimore, I had a lot of family most of whom were somewhat observant and one side of my dad‘s family that were ultra orthodox. In Jewish Baltimore, it is not uncommon to see black hatters walking down the street on Shabbat and see women with their heads covered, wearing …
We live in a time of personal searching. Bookshelves are full of titles encouraging us to find our true path, inspire our soul or discover our inner resilience. We are in a time which Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary calls, a search for “our sovereign selves.” (The Jew Within by Steven …
← Previous Page
Next Page →
