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Judaism, Jewish Thought and Culture through the eyes of a conservative rabbi

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Parshat Eikev, Part 2, Guarding the Symbol of Faith
Parshat Eikev, Part 2, Guarding the Symbol of Faith

Parshat Eikev, Part 2, Guarding the Symbol of Faith

The ubiquity of the Ten Commandments on the two tablets in Jewish folk art attests…
Parshat Eikev: Moses and Second Set of Tablets
Parshat Eikev: Moses and Second Set of Tablets

Parshat Eikev: Moses and Second Set of Tablets

As discussed two weeks ago in Parshat D’varim the Book of Deuteronomy is a second…
Parshat Devarim – Reading and Re-reading, Interpreting and Reinterpreting
Parshat Devarim – Reading and Re-reading, Interpreting and Reinterpreting

Parshat Devarim – Reading and Re-reading, Interpreting and Reinterpreting

The fifth book of Moses, which we begin reading this Shabbat, is commonly known as…
Parshat Balak – Opening our eyes and our mouths
Parshat Balak – Opening our eyes and our mouths

Parshat Balak – Opening our eyes and our mouths

It's not often that we get a talking animal in the Bible. In fact, Balaam's…
Parshat Hukat Part 2 – Honoring the Dead, Then and Now
Parshat Hukat Part 2 – Honoring the Dead, Then and Now

Parshat Hukat Part 2 – Honoring the Dead, Then and Now

Last week I posted a possible interpretation of the strange ritual of the Parah Adumah,…
Parshat Hukat: Part 1 – Setting Boundaries Between Death and Life
Parshat Hukat: Part 1 – Setting Boundaries Between Death and Life

Parshat Hukat: Part 1 – Setting Boundaries Between Death and Life

Of all the impurities discussed in the Torah, tuma'at hamet – impurity due to death…
Hukat: Serpents and Flags
Hukat: Serpents and Flags

Hukat: Serpents and Flags

"The Week One Flag Went Down and Another Went Up" is how ABC news put it,…
Naso: Samson, the First Jewish Superhero
Naso: Samson, the First Jewish Superhero

Naso: Samson, the First Jewish Superhero

I'm pretty sure that it's safe to say that for us Jews, the first superhero…
Aharei Mot-Kedoshim: Together in Holiness
Aharei Mot-Kedoshim: Together in Holiness

Aharei Mot-Kedoshim: Together in Holiness

The second portion of this week's reading gives us a chance to talk about what…
Israel: The space between physics and miracles
Israel: The space between physics and miracles

Israel: The space between physics and miracles

In a few hours from now, the mourning of Memorial Day will give way to…
Shmini: Flames of Silence
Shmini: Flames of Silence

Shmini: Flames of Silence

One of the most painful and heartbreaking narratives in the Hebrew Bible was read last…
S’firat Ha’Omer: Back to the Earth
S’firat Ha’Omer: Back to the Earth

S’firat Ha’Omer: Back to the Earth

Millenia before there were mobile apps, centuries before each day symbolized a different combination of the seven…
Pessah: How far we’ve come
Pessah: How far we’ve come

Pessah: How far we’ve come

My Facebook and Twitter feeds are full of links to articles about how bad things…
Tzav: Widening the Circle
Tzav: Widening the Circle

Tzav: Widening the Circle

Last Shabbat we read a catalogue of sacrificial offerings that an Israelite might bring to…
Vayikra: Searching for Meaning
Vayikra: Searching for Meaning

Vayikra: Searching for Meaning

Anyone who is asked or expected to speak about the weekly Torah portion knows that…
Trumah: Cherubim, Cupid and Communication
Trumah: Cherubim, Cupid and Communication

Trumah: Cherubim, Cupid and Communication

Is Valentine's Day good, or bad, for the Jews? Of course, I'm not really asking…
Mishpatim: Just everyday life…
Mishpatim: Just everyday life…

Mishpatim: Just everyday life…

For some, religion happens mostly in the synagogue, church, mosque or temple and even then,…
Yitro: All Alone
Yitro: All Alone

Yitro: All Alone

How do I know that this is really God talking to me? Will the people…
B’shallah: Faith and Resting on Shabbat
B’shallah: Faith and Resting on Shabbat

B’shallah: Faith and Resting on Shabbat

Can you do it? Are you able to go off the grid, refrain from using…
Bo: Remembering from Whence You Came
Bo: Remembering from Whence You Came

Bo: Remembering from Whence You Came

With Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday commemoration and the recent theatrical opening of the movie…