Old: A State of Mind (in More Ways than You Might Think)
On Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27) “Abram went forth as God had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.” (Genesis 12:4) Careful there. Reading that first sentence, you might think this is…
When I Become Old
On Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27) “Abram went forth as God had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.” (Genesis 12:4) Numbers in the Torah are an odd thing. We love that…
Thank You! (Final Sermon @ WCT, Jun 25, 2021)
This past Friday, I said goodbye to my congregation of twenty-six years. It’s been a wonderful adventure. These are my words before departing. * * * In 1986, when I was Woodlands’ rabbinic…
The Owner of the Garden
In this week’s parasha, Ha’azinu, Israel has completed its forty years of post-Egypt wandering and is looking into the Promised Land from the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Moses is about to die and is offering his farewell address,…
With Another Quarter
Bereshit, the first chapters of Torah, tells the Jewish people’s story of Creation, opening our eyes to the many avenues for interpreting and understanding how (and why) the world came to be. Then there are our own Bereshit moments — when the…
Now What?
Throughout my entire rabbinic career, whenever Sukkot has arrived, I have enjoyed explaining that sukkot – the three-sided booths we erect following Yom Kippur and in which we spend a week visiting with friends, dining with family, and watching squirrels…
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
In case you didn’t know, it’s the Hebrew month of Elul. These are the four weeks leading up to the High Holy Days, a time when most Jewish families are thinking about, well, probably nothing having to do with the…
Life’s Ninth of Av’s
I have a story to tell you. It’s about a tiny bird. I’ll come back to that. Tisha b’Av has been set aside as a day for the Jewish community to remember the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple two thousand…
The Curse of Blessings
What’s the best terrible thing that’s ever happened to you? Is it some food you thought you hated, but someone made you try it and you liked it? Or did you have to go somewhere to which you desperately wanted…
Mentors
The big news for me this week was the resignation of Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It appears that not only did her personal investments present a conflict of interest – not cool…
