Tu Bishvat is coming! The New Year of the Trees! What fabulous timing! A week after reflections on the vision of MLK Jr and the Inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we can feel the spirit of renewal. Just as Tu Bishvat celebrates the rising sap in the […]

Last week I wrote a piece intended for the newsletter that began by celebrating Raphael Warnock’s and Jon Ossoff’s victory in Georgia. But, tragically, the news of the unbelievable violence and attempted coup on the Hill cast a dark shadow over Georgia and over all of us. Along with COVID, […]

We very much appreciate our members, friends and readers. May this coming year be a blessed one for us all. How perfect for the secular year to end with Parshat VaY’khi, the final sedrah in the Book of Genesis. I see a convergence of the secular and Torah realms. Jacob, […]

Things are coming to a head this week in the government: the stimulus bill, recalcitrant and vindictive leadership and the further erosion of democracy. In Israel, as well, I just learned of the failure of the Coalition and a call for new elections. The holiday season is also coming to […]

The Parsha this week of Hanukah is Vayeshev and begins the saga of Joseph. The connection with Hanukah is not readily apparent. Can it be that the Joseph’s coat of many colors symbolizing the Rainbow Covenant is reflected in the colors of the fames of the Hanukah lights? Hanukah, meaning […]

We all have had restless nights, wrestling with our thoughts-conscience. Our ancestor, Jacob, has such a night just before his encounter with his brother Esau. It’s been twenty years since Jacob fled his home after angering his brother over birthright issues. Learning of Jacob’s return to Canaan, Esau goes to […]

Yom Hodu Sameyach! Happy Thanksgiving in Hebrew? Hodu in Hebrew has a double meaning. It means I give thanks…” and also means “turkey!” While it is so difficult to be together with our loved ones this year the holiday is still welcome, an opportunity to take a breath from our […]

How we communicate with others is so central to this week’s Parsha, Toldot. Rebecca and Isaac are married, but like his father and mother they are having difficulty bearing children. Isaac prays to God; God hears him and Rebecca conceives. With twins wrestling with each other in her womb she […]

We have much to be thankful for. While a Pharoah has been defeated there are still underlying causes for the emergence of such a threat. Yes, we have become more conscious of the inequities in our society. Can we move up to our country’s ideals? Can there be healing and […]

Election blues? Are you experiencing conflicting moments of hopefulness, doubt, sadness and, perhaps, despair? Is normalcy and peace eluding you? Voters have turned out in record numbers. More Americans are engaged than ever before and crying out for a clearer way forward. Our inner Avraham has been activated. What does […]