Public Reading of Megilat Haatzmaut-Israel’s Declaration of Independence This Shabbat, we read the Torah Portion of EMOR, the eighth portion in the book of Vayikra/Leviticus, 21:1–24:23. The Israelites are in the middle of their wandering in the Sinai Desert on their 40-year journey to the Promised Land. The second section...
Last Shabbat, I taught a version of the song: “Am Yisrael Chai” (The Nation of Israel Lives) by Eyal Golan. The song was released on October 19, 2023 in the midst of Operation Swords of Iron, and remained the #1 song in Israel for several weeks. In addition, I compiled...
The word “Yisrael” means to “struggle with God.” These days we’re struggling with much more than God. We’re struggling with protestors, with media, with a relentless war, with antisemitism and misinformation. If you’re like me, your head is hurting. Your heart is pained. On college campuses (too many to count)...
What are we to make of Passover this year? How can we celebrate our freedom when our brothers and sisters remain as hostages half a world away? How do we focus our attention on ancient hardship when our current hardship is so poignant and so real? How do we raise...
This coming Shabbat, the Shabbat immediately preceding Passover is called SHABBAT HAGADOL, the Great Sabbath. Rabbis traditionally deliver long sermons about the laws of Passover, what is kosher and what is not, how our behaviors change during the Passover festival, how we should conduct our Sedarim (plural of Seder), and...
This weekend we will celebrate my 20th anniversary at KI, and our 20 years together sharing prayer, music, love, laughter, tears, friendship, holidays, life cycles and community together. It has been my great honor to share these years with you, and it is my great joy to be your Cantor...
I can’t stop thinking about Israel. My mind plays October 7 on repeat. I cannot unsee what I’ve seen: the brutality, the murder, the horror. Over a thousand Israelis were slaughtered. Homes were burned to the ground. Families were separated. Hostages were taken to faraway tunnels, their fate still unknown....
This week we put Purim in the rear-view mirror and set our sights on Passover. Indeed, as Jews we know that it is important to look back but we must find a way to look ahead as well. Just as we needed Purim, this story of an inspiring queen who...
When I traveled to Israel with members of our synagogue, we were in awe of the resilience, courage and strength of our Israeli brothers and sisters. In the wake of an attack like no other, Israel had come together, united in its mission to survive, to move forward and to...
The Iron Swords War: How We Are All Affected! B’Yachad N’Natzeach/Together We Shall Be Victorious! On Tuesday morning, Ellen and I attended a profoundly moving and truly painful session at Gratz College presented by Esther Marcus and Gal Horev, two survivors of October 7th Massacre. It was overwhelmingly difficult and...
