Rabbi's Blog

Tomorrow is October 7th, two years since Hamas perpetrated one of the most brutal atrocities against the Jewish people in our history.  Tomorrow is also the first day of the holiday of Sukkot, a harvest festival whose central observance is the building of and dwelling in a temporary shelter that is by its nature unsecured against the elements. On Sukkot we willingly give up what we think of as our basic level of protection,...Read more...

Tracie and I are in Greece and Italy on a special trip. It feels strange to be away from home during such a fraught time for our Jewish community—and away from Israel at this critical and heart‑wrenching moment. I had already been weighing whether or not to display my kippah in public, but now there is no choice. We have also been careful to curb our habit of speaking Hebrew like a secret language when talking about something in a...Read more...

As we commemorate Yom Hashoah, the Memorial of the Holocaust, it seems fitting that we will read this Shabbat the Torah portion Shemini which begins with the death of Nadav and Avihu, two of Aaron’s children who perished inexplicably becoming, as the word Holocaust means originally - an offering consumed by fire. At that moment, his dead before him, Aaron could only silence himself

This silence intertwined with...Read more...

Our GLT team had a CPR course this morning for renewing certification or first time training. I learned something new about the AED, the automated defibrillator devices that provide a shock to the heart in an emergency situation. Even after having learned how to use the device initially I had thought that the shock...Read more...

Award shows of late have become  more notable for the criticisms they raise than their own content.  This year’s Grammys, while not without any controversy, were much better received and in some cases lauded for delivering some unexpectedly poignant moments.  Perhaps the most noted was the surprise appearance of Tracy Chapman, a performer who has left the public stage for many years and whose song “Fast Car” remains a...Read more...