Another school shooting, this time in Michigan. Too many murders in cities and towns across our country. So much violence undermining the sanctity of life. The sanctity of life, it’s something that the Supreme Court explored earlier this week as it heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. It appears that the majority of the justices will uphold this law, redefining when life begins and setting the stage for our country to redefine how we as a nation understand the “sanctity of life.” Judaism takes quite a different position on the sanctity of life, specifically when life begins. While our tradition is certainly not in any way “pro-abortion” and sees pregnancy as something extremely sacred, Judaism teaches us that life begins when an infant’s head has emerged from the birth canal. The Jewish position on when life…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmBibh16vUQ&t=4s As events at home and abroad, including the court cases that are making headlines, the attack in Wisconsin and the murder of Eli Kay z”l in Jerusalem,…
Father Charles Coughlin, a Canadian Catholic priest who worked at a church in Michigan, was a virulent anti-Semite who, throughout the 1930s, was one of the most powerful…
A glimpse of the damage of KristallnachtUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The words of Sofoni Herz, an educator at the Jewish orphanage in Dinslaken, Germany, written on…
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Satanov (1749–1826) was a highly respected teacher of Mussar – the Jewish movement that focused on teaching people how to live ethical, moral lives. As part of…
According to Judaism, we each possess the wings of eagles. Have you discovered yours? Are you using them to soar to great heights?Every week, in addition to reading a section from the Torah on Shabbat, we read…
As we approach Halloween, some of you might want to be on the lookout for spooky stuff. Therefore, I thought I’d share directions contained in the Talmud that teach folks how to find…
Our son, Jonah, had a short break from college last weekend. We were so excited to greet him at the airport, wrap our arms around him and smother him with love after…
https://youtu.be/q4lgqIAgu7s Our discussion with the Arava Institue on Rosh HaShanah Day 2 (5782) at Ramat Shalom Synagogue. To learn more about Arava, please visit arava.org
We are in the midst of the Jewish month of Elul, the month that ends the Jewish year. As we prepare for the new Jewish year, which begins…