I didn’t realize it until a few moments ago, but for the last couple of years (maybe longer), I’ve been thinking about the question: “What is Scripture?” Now that I realize this has been a foundational question for me, I also realize the answer I’ve been living with for just as long. Here’s my answer: […]
Torah
The Divine Image
Yesterday afternoon I’d just sat down to write an email when a co-worker of mine knocked on my door with a question that had come up during a recent bible study with her church community. We found ourselves in a conversation about what it means to be created in the Divine Image. We lingered on […]
Be a Blessing
“Be a blessing.” That’s God’s instruction to Abram in Genesis 12. Whenever I read these words or think of this teaching, I think of Rabbi Alvin Sugarman. Many years ago he and I were part of a rabbinic panel at The Temple. Rabbi David Baylinson joined us as well. Each of us was asked to […]
The Blessing of Torah
Yesterday and today are Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is a holiday that celebrates the end and the beginning of the annual cycle of Torah reading observed by Jewish communities around the world. Every time that Jews study Torah we recite a blessing. That blessing concludes with the words la’asok b’divrei Torah. We thank God for the […]
Science and Religion
As a day school rabbi I work with kids pretty much every day. Having been at it for the last decade, I’m now able to say, somewhat conclusively, that there are certain perennial topics that kids are curious about. One of them is the relationship between science and religion. Because kids seem to linger in […]
On the language of giving and receiving
I’ve always loved language. And over the last decade or so I’ve come to love language even more because language is at the heart of songwriting. More than blogging or journaling. Certainly more than emailing, texting, or tweeting. And in some ways even more than speaking, listening, and reading, songwriting has helped me grow closer […]