Why didn’t Mordecai bow down to Haman? After all, that is how the whole megilah gets started, right? Well not quite! But it is Mordecai’s act of disobedience and disrespect that motivates Haman’s desire to destroy the Jews of Shushan. When the other men in King Ahashueros’ court asked Mordecai why he refused to bow before Haman, all Mordecai told them was that he was a Jew.   Why didn’t Mordecai bow down to Haman? Perhaps he felt that, as a Jew, it was not... Read More

The Mishnah tells us that we observe four New Years: Nisan 1 is the New Year for dating the reign of Kings and dating the beginning of the Festival cycle. Elul 1 (Tishrei 1 according to Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Eliezer) is the New Year for determining the tithe of animals. Tishrei 1 is the New Year for years when we begin counting the New Year.  It is also when we begin a new yearly cycle for counting the Sabbatical (shemittah)... Read More

This week a hero is born, a savior, you might say. We read the beginning of the Book of Shemot and are told of the birth of Moses, a baby so beautiful that his mother hides him from sight for three months. And when she can no longer hide him, she puts him into a wicker basket and leaves him among the reeds by the bank of the Nile River.  But no woman who has spent nine months waiting for the birth of a child would just leave him unaccompanied.   Va tay tatzav... Read More

How will you light your hanukkiyah?  The Talmud in tractate Shabbat records four traditions of how to light a hanukkiyah: The mitzvah of Hanukkah is one light for a man and his household. The zealous kindle a light for each member of the household. Beit Shammai maintain: On the first day eight lights are lit and thereafter they are gradually reduced. Beit Hillel say: On the first day one is lit and thereafter they are ... Read More

Esau does something which our tradition sees as reprehensible.  Parshat Toldot tells the story of Esau selling his birthright (his status as the first born) to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew.  Our Rabbis find it outrageous that Esau would willingly abandon something so valuable for something so transitory. We see it as evidence of Esau’s bad character.  But we each have our own bowl of lentil stew, that thing which seemed at the time to be so attractive to... Read More

Our parshah is framed by death. It begins with the death of Sarah at the age of 127 and ends with the death of Abraham at the age of 175 years.  But the parshah deals not with the death of Sarah as its central narrative concerning the end of her life. Rather the Torah is most interested in the search for a burial plot for her. After Sarah dies, Abraham sets out to find, not just a place to bury her, but what the Torah calls ahuzat kever, a burial plot that... Read More

New Shabbat AM is a joyous and reflective Shabbat morning celebration of prayer, song accompanied by musical instruments with Charlee Sterling and Ayal Yariv. Our prayer, exploration, and learning is guided by Rabbi Ron Shulman. Using a special prayer book that includes Hebrew transliteration and English reflection, New Shabbat AM seeks to facilitate personal prayer and communal celebration in a concise hour and one-half user-friendly ShabbatMorning Service... Read More

Sukkot is a tribute to simplicity. On Sukkot we pause for moments of living without all of the “stuff” we accumulate. Building a Sukkah, and dwelling in it for meals or more, focuses us on the basic needs of our lives: shelter, nourishment, and the company of others. Though to be honest, it never quite works out that way. We always find ways to be extravagant in our simplicity. We decorate, we embellish, and we adorn our Sukkot. We fulfill the imperative of... Read More

Religion isn’t only about ritual and faith, worship and congregation. Real religion views the forms and symbols of our beliefs as reminders for the purpose of what we believe. Religious essence is to recognize that there’s something about each and every one of us present upon which the world depends. It is present when we express our compassion and caring for humanity and our support for the needy. Concern for our neighbors is vital. Personal humility and... Read More

This week we observe in our land a yahrzeit, the thirteenth sobering and sad anniversary of September 11, 2001. Back then none of us understood how our world, our nation, and our people would change. We remember the horror of 9/11 today conscious about our security and engaged in battles against new terror threats from ISIS, Hamas, and their horrific ilk. The horrors of 9/11 felt by all Americans reverberated within the Jewish community not only due to grief... Read More