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Commanding Joy When the World is a Mess? (P. Terumah)

2/15/2026

Nobody needs me to confirm that vast swaths of our world burn like a raging dumpster fire.

Judaism is about reality-based reality. We do not pretend away trouble or turn a blind eye. We certainly do not fiddle while Rome burns.

Yet even so – precisely so – the Jewish calendar encodes a radical and wise spiritual practice starting now, linked to this week's Torah portion, that at first blush can seem oddly un-real and ill-fitting when the world is a dumpster fire.

The practice is one of Judaism's sometimes overlooked superpowers: elevating joy amidst all.

Justice and a World Blind and Toothless (P. Mishpatim)

2/8/2026

In a world of passive aggression, physical and emotional aggression, and mounting societal outrage, there can be instinctive allure to Torah's "eye for an eye" maxim about justice.

Except it doesn't mean what the millennia made it out to mean. What principles should guide us in addressing bad behavior? When – if ever – does "like" merit "like"?

What You Missed: Mid-Winter 2026 Edition

2/8/2026

Shabbat services – Our new model alternates between upbeat services with Torah, and more contemplative experiences. Our January 23 Shabbat featured Rabbi Rachel Barenblat and Torah at the precipice of Egyptian liberation. Our February 6 contemplative service began with a community dinner, then a Tu B'shevat-themed ascent including Cantor Debbie Friedman's "You Are the One" (2005) – a poignant setting of Rabbi Nahman of Breslov's "Prayer to Be Alone" (1801).

Learning – Our Liturgy Series is completing the evening service: next up is the morning service in preparation for b'not mitzvah of Nancy Heller and Sherrill Cropper. In SoulSpa we reached Sinai: next up are society rules and spiritual mysteries that continue to make us "us."

"The Way They Will Walk" (P. Yitro)

2/1/2026

When I was a Harvard graduate student lo many years ago, person-sized Biblical words about law looked down on me every day from atop one of the academic buildings.

They look down on me still – and on you, and on our country.

Rabbi's Corner: February 2026 – Count to Three, and We Go Free

1/25/2026

It happens every month: the moon waxes and wanes, marking planetary time quietly above our heads.

It happens every year: three full moons set our course from winter to spring, from concealed to revealed, from bondage to liberation.

Those three full moons now begin. Ready or not, spring is on its way – and I, for one, am ready.

The Bittersweet Fickleness of Faith (P. Beshallah)

1/25/2026

Even the most faithful among us have times of forgetting, doubting and disbelieving. Lifelong learning, gratitude and perspective suddenly can fly out the window.

Even the most faithless among us have times of belief that challenge rationalism, atheism and all other -isms. Clutched certainty of disbelief, and with it clarity about how life is, suddenly can fall like a castle of sand.

Our bittersweet fickleness of faith, faithlessness and everything in between is eminently human. What if we lean into them – all of them?

Gifts of Foresight (P. Bo)

1/18/2026

How do we perceive the world – as it is becoming or as a projection of ourselves?

How do we perceive the future? Do we see the future merely continuing a past or present, or brimming with possibility?

A rare few among us – the prophets of old, and modern visionaries like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – get out of their own way, defy inertia and see a becoming world long before the rest of us can.

Often society ignores them or mocks them. What if instead we listened and dreamed?

What's In a Name? (P. Vaera)

1/11/2026

We call our beloveds by many names. Whether a given name, an adopted name, a "pet" name or something else, each name encodes a special relationship and a story about it.

Why should it be different for the Beloved that we call God?

It's not. "God" isn't a Name but a role, a function. As for the Name of God – the One goes by many names.

And each Name tells a profound story. That story is worth telling.

Rabbi's Corner: January 2026 – Early Spiritual Pre-Spring

1/1/2026

Happy New Year 2026, Shir Ami!

In secular life, it's a time of new calendars, new year's resolutions and perhaps gentle re-boots.

Because the Jewish calendar precesses 11 days each year, this year's spiritual pre-spring begins a bit early.

Then again, already it's been a cold and snowy winter – with perhaps months to go – so an early spiritual pre-spring is welcome.

Turns out that nature already is getting in on the act. Already creative juices are flowing. Already a re-boot is in progress.

The Angelic Art of Redemption (P. Vayehi)

12/28/2025

Before it's all said and done, what do we make of the dust-ups, hurts, disappointments and dramas of our messy lives?

it's tempting to answer that we bear them as best we can, and even make meaning of them – and hopefully we do. But is there more?

Is there a way to redeem what happens in our lives? Is there a way to bless others by what we ourselves have become?

That's Jacob's last blessing, and ours – with bonus content from one of my students.

<<Previous

Commanding Joy When the World is a Mess? (P. Terumah)

Justice and a World Blind and Toothless (P. Mishpatim)

What You Missed: Mid-Winter 2026 Edition

"The Way They Will Walk" (P. Yitro)

Rabbi's Corner: February 2026 – Count to Three, and We Go Free

The Bittersweet Fickleness of Faith (P. Beshallah)

Gifts of Foresight (P. Bo)

What's In a Name? (P. Vaera)

Rabbi's Corner: January 2026 – Early Spiritual Pre-Spring

The Angelic Art of Redemption (P. Vayehi)

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