It’s been a while. But I’m back and ready to talk about the real issues -again. Uvalde mass shooting from 2022 and the justice department’s report, plus Gaza war…they have something in common as a lesson for us connected to Torah! Listen to find out, and leave a comment if you wish. I love to hear from my listeners!

When I recently watched the show Six Feet Under from the early 2000’s, I saw many similarities in the energy, plot, and lessons to what is happening today in the world and in Israel and Gaza, and the spiritual demands of our time. Listen to find out. I love dark humor, but this got very dark. Still, I was obsessed.

I’ve been stuffing down my feelings with food—tried and NOT true way to deal with difficult things. What is the right and righteous thing to do with the Israel/Gaza situation? How does Torah reflect our struggles? What side of history will we be on?

As the moon waxes to its maximum light this month, it’s hard to find the light among the bitterness and pain of death and destruction of the past weeks in Israel and Gaza. What does my voice need to express, what is my responsibility as a person, a Jew, a rabbi, in a time when what I have to say is unpopular with my tribe? How do Sarah and Angelina Grimke as abolitionists and suffragists inspire me?

As the moon waxes to its maximum light this month, it’s hard to find the light among the bitterness and pain of death and destruction of the past weeks in Israel and Gaza. What does my voice need to express, what is my responsibility as a person, a Jew, a rabbi, in a time when what I have to say is unpopular with my tribe? How do Sarah and Angelina Grimke as abolitionists and suffragists inspire me?

I just returned from co-officiating at two interfaith weddings, and what an experience of joy and bringing people together that don’t normally interact so much. It felt like such holy work, and gave me so much hope for the future. And then the attacks came on Israel, and it all unraveled…listen here to my incredible experiences that I want so much to share with you. Leave a comment in the comments section, go to my website and contact me. Let’s talk.

It’s the end of a year, the end of a season, and the beginning of new ones. With the end of this Jewish year, I have an announcement to make for the coming year as I go through a transition. As I open to the still, small voice, I have decided that ater three years of weekly blogging, and I’m not sure how many weekly podcasts corresponding to the Parsha, I am making space and time for other things. Listen for the full story! Until soon!

What do you do when you’re working with a Christian minister and they don’t know how it feels to hear, “Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior”? And what part of this phrase are most problematic? And why? This week, through my own struggles and this week’s double Parasha, I take you on a journey of exploration and revelation. Just in time for Rosh Hashanah!

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…this is how the Parsha reads this week—if we don’t follow God’s commandments. The same is true for the opposite: if we do, everything will be perfect, no one will get sick, etc. We tend to live that way in our modern world. We’ve been told that if we do everything right, everything will be perfect. But it’s unrealistic. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, how do we find the balance between being and doing?

How much do our expectations define outcomes? Self-fulfilling prophecies and high expectations that disappoint because we’re expecting more than can be delivered can really let us down. That means that changing expectations can make us happier. Listen for the connection to this week’s parsha. It’s a quick one.