A new year comes and it brings the promise of a fresh start. In Judaism, we mark new beginnings with fanfare and joy. Think of Consecration, which marks the beginning of a student’s Jewish learning. Think of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, marking the beginning of young adulthood. Think of...
In this season of miracles, I am so thankful for the miracles in my life, the life of our synagogue and in the Jewish story itself. Let’s say it clearly: Our being here was never inevitable. Each one of us lives only because of the countless miracles that enabled our...
This Friday night I am going to speak about the jarring levels of antisemitism we have witnessed in recent weeks. We simply cannot ignore the atrocious levels of hate that exist both here in America and across Europe. When Nazis march in Columbus, Ohio or threaten students at the University...
This Shabbat, Jews around the world will read the iconic story of Noah and his family. Noah will be tasked to build an ark to save himself and his loved ones from a flood that God intends to deliver. In frustration, God plans to wipe out humanity itself. We are...
I say without hesitation that Simchat Torah is my favorite holiday. How could it not be? Think about it: singing, dancing, celebrating, beginning anew, going from the solemnity of our holy season to a state of joy and hope. Simchat Torah is about finishing one reading cycle and beginning the...
Over the last few months, I’ve been paying visits to SCI-Phoenix, the maximum security prison not far from KI. I go with a small group of volunteers to spend time with Jewish inmates. I generally lead discussions or Shabbat morning services during these visits. Most of the men in the...
This week we announced our theme for the coming year, “My Heart is in the East.” The line comes from a poem written a millennium ago by Yehuda HaLevi, who spent most of his life in Spain. The poem speaks to his connection to the Land of Israel even from...
As we approach the start of a new year, we all feel a great confluence of emotions in our heart: enthusiasm, sadness, angst and pain. We also feel gratitude. While the world is far from perfect, we are fortunate that we can live a life of meaning and find ways...
If you walked past Stephen Nedoroscik on the street you probably would not think too much of him. A nebbish, bespectacled young man with a goofy smile and curly brown hair, he certainly doesn’t conjure thoughts of an all-time athlete. You wouldn’t think: ‘There goes a superhero.’ But Stephen is...
The world feels like it’s falling apart. There are divisions along every possible line of our society: racial, religious, geographic, political and the list continues. Everywhere we look there’s separation: college campuses, congress, along generational lines and regional borders. We feel these rifts in ways that are real. Our heart hurts...
