Nobody’s Perfect: The Challenge of Seeing the Sacred around Us
The Ba’al Shem Tov said: There are two ways to serve God. One is to separate yourself from people and from the world’s affairs, and to devote yourself wholly to a study of religious books. This is the safe way.
Sowing Bread in the Sea: A Psalm for Tashlich
Out of Destruction, Into Renewal: Reclaiming Tisha b’Av
This article was originally published on jewishjournal.com.
Small but Mighty
“When you grow up, you’ll understand.” Have you heard this sentiment recited to young people by parents, and perhaps teachers who didn’t know the answer to a probing question, or were simply hesitant to approach it? It framed generations, in a way. Set boundaries. But in a time when we have just recently witnessed a 17-year-old becoming the youngest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate to date – I’d say the sentiment has expired.
What I Learned When I Met with Members of the Knesset
It sounds like the beginning of a potentially provocative joke about Israeli politics: Five members of the Knesset – two from the Left, and one each from the center, the right, and from the joint Arab list – walk into a room full of Liberal Zionists…
Get Engaged (with Israel) at Biennial
With everything happening in the Middle East, now is a critical time to support, learn about, struggle with and connect to Israel.
Love Beyond Measure: Tishah B’Av, Tu B'Av, and Tel Aviv Pride
As a queer rabbinical student, I felt that recent comments by an Orthodox rabbi were inaccurate at best and, at worst, possible incitement to hatred or violence against LGBTQ+ Jews.
On the Road to Jerusalem: A Current Affairs Conversation with an Israeli Taxi Driver
Gidi is a handsome, 53-year-old Israeli taxi driver whose grandfather made aliyah from Iraq in the 1920s.
Answers Are Important, But Questions Matter More
"Who's there?" is the first thing we read in Shakespeare's Hamlet. It encapsulates the topic of the entire play. "Where are you?" is the first question asked by God in the Torah (Genesis 3:9). From a metaphysical point of view, it captures the topic of the entire Bible.
From Collective Memory to National Identity
A litany of laws. A multitude of mitzvot. According to Maimonides, Ki Teitzei contains 72 of the 613 commandments in the Torah — the most commandments in any one Torah portion. As the time for the Israelites’ transition into the Land draws ever nearer, God and Moses continue to prepare the people for sovereignty and self-government. In addition to laws that cover rules and regulations within the Israelite community, this portion also includes two passages that dictate the relationship between the people of Israel and neighboring entities.