ACCEPT ME FOR WHAT I AM

Every so often, a new prayer book or High Holiday Machzor makes a debut. As leader of a congregation who replaced a tried and true High Machzor a few years ago, far be it from me to speak out against new texts. What I do take issue with however, is the reason for the change. Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements […]

WHEN IT CAME TO SOCIAL SECURITY, THE RABBIS HAD OUR NUMBER

What do Rabban Gamliel, Hillel and Ben Zoma have in common? Aside from all three appearing in the Passover Haggadah, all three weighed in on Social Security, an American institution that marked its 80th anniversary last week. Rabban Gamliel was onto F.D.R. millennia ago. Does anyone really think that this country’s 32nd President was really concerned about Americans, once they […]

CRYIN’ FOR A LION

The “Shloshim” or thirty day period of mourning for Cecil the lion is well over. Yet, something tells me that there are countless individuals in this country and elsewhere, who have yet to take heed of the timeless teaching of Kohelet, that there is a time for every purpose under the heaven. Put differently, I can’t help but feel that […]

The Meshummad, the Mishpocha and the Meshuggener

After making the “deal of a lifetime” with Iran, thanks to American “prowess”, the focus of the Jewish world was diverted to the anticipated release of Jonathan Pollard, who will be completing a 30 year sentence for passing classified U.S. military information to Israel. It comes as no surprise that there is no shortage of finger pointing as far as […]