Rabbi's Desk

There is a popular Yiddish saying with similar versions in many languages, Der mench tracht un Got lacht, which translates to “Man plans and God laughs." I have never much cared for that adage because it minimizes the burden of responsibility on people to prevail despite unforeseen and sometimes negative or unfair conditions. I don't believe we must always be victims of our circumstances. We do have choices...Read more...

In recent days, we have been blasting the shofar each morning, offering special Selichot prayers, preparing our tastiest recipes, and sending new years salutations. These, and other rituals, serve to communicate that Rosh Hashanah is coming - the most holy days of the year are upon us - and we have work to do. 

We acknowledge that it takes effort and time to repair relationships and correct bad habits. None of it can be...Read more...

A kosher Torah must be written and maintained with great care. If even one letter is missing or so much as blemished to the point that the meaning of the word has changed, the Torah scroll is not considered kosher for use in a religious service. Yet, in a tiny number of instances, oral tradition conveys small but significant deviations in the writing of a Torah scroll. We find one example of this phenomenon at the beginning of this week’s...Read more...

This week, I was very fortunate to attend a Chag Hasemicha, a rabbinical ordination ceremony for a dear friend and study partner, Rabbi Gerry Gilstrop (pictured right).

The event took place in Baltimore at the beautiful Bnai Israel Synagogue. My esteemed teachers, Hakham Isaac Sassoon...Read more...

This past Tuesday, we counted the 33rd day of the Omer, leading up to the Festival of Shavuot. Lag B’Omer is marked by parties, weddings, BBQs and celebration and is significant because of an incident that occurred early in the 2nd Century.

the Talmud teaches that during the few weeks after Passover, all 24,000 students of the great sage, Rabbi Akiva, died in a plague. A massive blow to the continuity of Torah scholarship, it is...Read more...

There is a Midrash, a rabbinic parable, taught on this week's Torah portion, about the place God chose to give the tablets containing the 10 Commandments. All the mountains assembled before God and explained why they should be the chosen place for God to reveal the Torah. The tall mountains contended that they are most deserving because of their height. The beautiful ones argued that their elegance qualifies them. Mount Sinai stood in the...Read more...

How apropos that we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the very week that we read a Torah portion recounting the persecution of the Hebrews and the abuse they endured at the hands of the Egyptians. One can’t help but marvel at the similarities in leadership styles between MLK and Moses, our teacher. Both men were exceedingly humble yet inspired millions by their example.

Dr. King once...Read more...

Before I became a parent, someone explained to me that I could not possibly understand love. Since our daughter was born, I had many conversations with Rachel z”l, questioning whether Mara really is the most beautiful and amazing child in the world or if it is only because we are her parents that we think so. A parent's love for a child is unmatched by any other force in nature and children often thrive when given sufficient support,...Read more...

By now, your belly is probably full of hodu (= turkey) and your heart is filled with hodaya (= prayers of thanksgiving) at the delicious meal and the great company that you shared yesterday. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for two reasons. It is the only holiday that, as a rabbi, even I get the day off. But most importantly, Thanksgiving is like every American standing up and reciting the Shehecheyanu (prayer of thanksgiving)...Read more...

A group of more than 20 of my family members recently got together in Las Vegas to celebrate the 60th birthday of my dear aunt. While there, I found myself in the poker room at a hotel on the Strip. As I sat, I noticed I completed the “minyan” of 10 adult poker players at our table.

In poker, each player holds concealed cards. They are cards that no one can know but the player himself. As the game proceeds, players learn about the...Read more...

This Shabbat Chazon, we begin reading the book of Deuteronomy. Moses, who much earlier claimed not to be a man words (Ex. 4:10), now delivers a sermon lasting an exhausting 36 days and taking up almost the entire book. In fact, the book of Deuteronomy is nicknamed Mishneh Torah, the Second Torah, since it is essentially a summary of the previous four books. Over the course of his monologue, Moses reviewed the laws and traditions that were to...Read more...

I always look forward to Fridays. I suppose I'm not alone. Most of us look forward to Fridays. Friday reminds us that whatever happened during the work week to make us nervous, anxious, or frustrated has passed and before us lies a day dedicated to family, rest and showing gratitude God. Even when our week was consumed by holidays, as this week was, Shabbat still promises relief.

As I child, I anticipated Erev Shabbat and our regular...Read more...

A wave of emotions overcame the nation this week as the world was stunned by the outcome of our presidential election. If my Facebook feed is a scientific gauge, my own family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances expressed a range of passionate emotions and feelings as they contemplate the unknown that is to come. It seems that the most prevalent feelings, after expressions of shock subsided,...Read more...

Costumes are being decided and organized this week as we prepare to partake in the festivities at our synagogue and elsewhere and to celebrate the miracles that saved the Jewish people of the Purim story.

Purim is not the first or, sadly, the last example of an unwarranted turning of the tides of popular opinion against the Jewish people. Indeed one need not look far to see antisemitism thriving overtly or simmering beneath the...Read more...