Leveling the Playing Field
This week’s Torah reading, Re’eh, presents an interesting progression of commandments regarding caring for the less fortunate in our communities and society. First we’re told, in Chapter 15 verses 4 and 5, “There shall...
Join The Conversation At the Malverne Jewish Center
A Gift for the One who has Everything
Most of us have had the dilemma, at one time or another, of trying to buy a gift for “the person who has everything.” We rack our brains trying to come up with something...
Tisha B’Av – Beyond the Temple
Yesterday, on Tisha B’Av, the organization “Bend The Arc” held a gathering on the steps of the Nassau County Legislature building in Mineola to request that Nassau County stop cooperating with ICE. Tisha B’Av...
From Mourning to Dancing, the Relevance of Tisha B’Av Today
This week’s Torah reading, Devarim, is always read on the Shabbat immediately preceding the observance of Tisha B’av, which begins as Shabbat ends on July 22nd. On this day we mourn the destruction of...
Abraham, Balaam and Blessings
In this week’s parashah we read about the pagan prophet Balaam, who is famous more for his talking donkey than for himself. The Cliff Notes version of the story is that Balak, the king...
Silence, Grief and Water
In this week’s Torah reading, Hukkat, both Miriam and Aaron die, and Moses learns that he won’t be the one to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. The people are in the 39th...
Korach, When Despair Leads to Disaster
I have always seen Korach, the character for whom this week’s Torah reading is named, as an example of how not to behave. That hasn’t changed, but as I began reading the parashah again,...
Tweeting Under The Influence?
It’s certainly no longer news that the reprise of Roseanne Barr’s show was cancelled following a tweet comparing Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape. In trying to defend herself, she claimed that the...
Shabbat at Wendy’s, When Worlds and Values Collide
The saying in comedy that “timing is everything” pretty much applies to, well, everything. A couple of weeks ago, the independent documentary “Wendy’s Shabbat,” directed by Rachel Myers, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival....
What Were They Thinking???!!
When I subscribed to the Sunday The New York Times, the Magazine occasionally ran a featured called, “What They Were Thinking.” There would be a photo from several years earlier, and the subject or...
