When German Jewish theologian Franz Rosenzweig was asked whether he performed particular mitzvot, he did not give a simple “yes” or “no” answer. He was known for replying “Not yet.” Rosenzweig recognized religion as a process, something living and capable of change. When people find out that I’m studying to be a Reform rabbi, they … More »
Each day in our liturgy, we remember that God took us out of Mitzrayim. While Mitzrayim is the name given to Egypt, there is a belief that the word is derived from m’tzarim meaning from narrowness or from tightness. When we pray, we remember how good freedom from restriction and constriction is. In this month’s … More »
Are you a Jewish-American, or an American-Jew? Be careful what you choose. The order in which you voice these aspects of your identity could be revealing about which piece you feel is more fundamental to who you are. In light of the recent Pew Research Center’s survey on Jewish life in America, Jewish identity seems … More »
One constant that we can rely on in our lives is change. Sometimes that change is a propulsion forward, and sometimes it is a reversion backward. In a pastoral care and counseling class that I took as a second year rabbinical student, I remember learning that all change brings about a sense of loss. Even … More »
Ascending the steps to the roof, I turned to my Israeli host and asked; “Are the services up there?” The roof that I was heading for was high on a hillside in Tzfat, and I was preparing to invite in Shabbat just as the medieval Kabbalists had done centuries before me. As we reached … More »