As hard as we try, we cannot permanently avert our eyes from global food insecurity, which is not a matter of lifestyle, or values, or identity. It is a binary of life or death, with little in between. Without protecting the fragility of the ecosystem, we will be unable to leave a viable legacy to our descendants.
Life invariably shows us how fragile we really are and Sukkot is about literally shifting perspectives and encountering that fragility. Sukkot asks us to consider the real meaning of security and to cherish our beloved all the more.
How do shofar sounds connect to the lives we all lead? Because music is a language. This Rosh Hashana let the music take you on a journey through the ups and downs of life and set your intentions for the new year.
The theological questions that emerge from the Holocaust are many, and they are difficult. Like many of us, I have thought about and been highly disturbed by these questions, so in 2008 I contacted Rabbi Dr. David Weiss Halivni, who died on June 29 at the age of 94, and asked if he would be willing to discuss his thoughts about the Shoah.
Human beings throughout history have committed acts of unspeakable evil. In addition, natural disasters have killed untold millions; babies and children have suffered terrible illness and deformity. For the religious believer, there is a component of agonizing perplexity, why would God would create a world which is then seemingly abandoned to fate?
As Holocaust Remembrance Day and Israel Independence Day approach, Dr. Elliot Malamet discusses the importance of these holidays as they remind us of the past. In this blog, he discusses why with each passing year our memory of the holocaust is weakened and what we can do to ensure that we continue to give a voice to those who were robbed of speech in the Holocaust.
Why would a man invite the wrath of an empire, risking death and devastation to descend on his entire people? Is it so important to hold fast to your principles when the result may be catastrophic? Shouldn’t war be avoided when you are outmatched and outgunned? Why stand firm, and provoke the apocalypse? Read this week’s blog post by Dr. Elliot Malamet to discover how he answers these questions.
It’s been said often that parenting may be the hardest job on earth; it is arguably the most important. There is no perfect formula or manual, no guaranteed method. And whatever we did with one child, we may have to think and react differently with the next one.
What happens to Chanukah in an atmosphere where Christmas can be so all consuming? What do we do with these December dilemmas? Read Dr. Elliot Malamet’s latest blog to find out!
The dilemma of Chanuka is how to stand out proudly as a Jew in a world where, at times that might be a precarious undertaking. Our Judaism does not require a neon sign, but it also not something to obscure or keep sequestered indoors. May the light of Chnauka shine in our hearts, and then radiate outwards into the rest of our lives and our world.