Turn It Again: Torah Wisdom for Today – Tzav

In the ancient Tent of Meeting, five types of offerings were brought before God: burnt offerings (Olah), grain offerings (Minchah), peace offerings (Shelamim), sin offerings (Chatat), and guilt offerings (Asham). Our ancestors brought these sacrifices to address their needs. Sometimes they needed to make amends, assuage their feelings of guilt, connect with God, or express gratitude. We no longer bring material sacrifices, yet we share a common humanity. Our needs have not changed, only how we seek to fulfill them.

A Special Purim Oasis

I want to discuss friendship, the hiddenness that arises from antisemitism, and how joy is both the corrective and outcome that occurs when we step out of the places where we have been hiding.

Turn It Again: Torah Wisdom for Today

Mel Sirner was my senior rabbi during my first tenure after rabbinical school. It's likely you haven't heard of him because he showed no interest in fame, enhancing his reputation, or earning a spot on lists of America's most influential rabbis. Instead, he consistently dedicated himself to his work, guiding his community with unparalleled steadiness. His aversion to the spotlight, a hallmark of American success, was a natural extension of his character—kind, genuine, and devoid of ego—qualities as rare as they are essential for anyone in the rabbinate.

Leaving the Oasis

For many of us, the image of an oasis has long been embedded in our cultural and personal memories. Certainly films such as Peter O’Toole’s portrayal in Lawrence of Arabia contributed to that, yet the concept of a sanctuary in a harsh world has a special resonance, and oases sometimes figured in childhood cartoons. The juxtaposition of a verdant, palm-filled watering hole set amid seemingly unending sands creates a sense of relief.

How Healing Hatred Mirrors Retail

Mel Sirner was my senior rabbi during my first tenure after rabbinical school. It's likely you haven't heard of him because he showed no interest in fame, enhancing his reputation, or earning a spot on lists of America's most influential rabbis. Instead, he consistently dedicated himself to his work, guiding his community with unparalleled steadiness. His aversion to the spotlight, a hallmark of American success, was a natural extension of his character—kind, genuine, and devoid of ego—qualities as rare as they are essential for anyone in the rabbinate.

Broken Glass and the Dismal Repeat

We are well past words, though the wicked chants that have brought us here continue. On Monday night, February 26, 2024, a 200-person-strong mob of pro-Palestinian protesters, The Bears of Palestine, gathered outside the Zellerbach Playhouse on the University of California’s Berkeley campus. Yes, a mob, not a protest, as will shortly become clear to those who missed this story.

Keeping the Light Burning: A Middle Path to Well-Being During Trying Times

Times are challenging; the vision of a shared society seems harder for many to maintain in our era, whether we are discussing life within Israel’s “Green Line,” the recent decision about frozen embryos issued by Alabama’s Supreme Court, refugee policy in Europe, or China’s surveillance state and restricted human rights. It is difficult to ascertain whether things are worse today than in previous eras; it seems clear, however, that a great many people feel things are worse, and this impacts their capacity to work toward the better world we all wish would arrive sooner than it ever does. Many people are throwing their hands up.