The Crumbs in our Soul #621
04/03/2020 05:25:00 PM
This will be a Passover like no other.
In a world so consumed by the coronavirus, how can we find within Passover the meaning and comfort we so desperately need?
Like everything these days, our world has been turned upside down.
We are concerned about our health, and the health of others.
Rather than planning who will be sitting next to each other — or not — at...Read more...
The Virus -- Who Are Our Heroes? #620
03/27/2020 04:00:00 PM
A colleague earlier this week forwarded an amazing teaching by anthropologist Margaret Mead who at one point was asked what she considered to be the first sign of civilization within a culture.
Was it the development of fish hooks, clay pots or grinding stones?
"No," Mead replied. She declared that the first sign of civilization occurred when someone had broken their femur...Read more...
"Tosh Hashanah" Comes Early This Year #619
03/20/2020 05:45:00 PM
Each year, perhaps a week before the coming of Rosh Hashanah, I seclude myself, and before putting fingers to the keyboard ask myself:
"What words can I share to inspire people to take stock of their lives, to embrace what is precious, and to let go of that which weighs them down?"
Sometimes, once shared, these words touch a chord. Other times, while they are usually based in good...Read more...
The Virus -- Halves Makes Us Whole #618
03/13/2020 05:00:00 PM
Parashat Ki Tissa
"A captive cannot release himself from prison.
He needs help from someone else."
(Talmud)
Those WE Leave Behind #617
03/06/2020 04:00:00 PM
Shabbat Zachor: The Sabbath of Remembrance
"Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey...Do not forget!"
(Deuteronomy 25:17,19)
The Jewish people have become very good at remembering.
We remember the Holocaust, and remain forever vigilant against signs of renewed anti-Semitism. During Passover, we remember our liberation from...Read more...
How Tzedakah Heals The World #616
02/28/2020 05:00:00 PM
It was an unusually cold night — even for Edmonton, Canada — when, just after dinner, we heard a knock at our front door.
I squeezed the door handle to find a middle-aged couple standing on our welcome mat, with a series of packets and brochures in their arms.
“We represent the Diabetes Association,” the woman said as a white fog exited her lips. “Could you please support us with a...Read more...
WE Were All Strangers #615
02/21/2020 05:00:00 PM
A rabbi told me this story when I was a child:
Two men, a pauper and a store owner, were walking toward each other one morning on the main street of a small town.
“Shalom Aleichem,” Shmuel, the pauper, said as he greeted Lazer.
“Aleichem Shalom,” the store owner, Lazer, responded.
“I'm wondering whether you could help me out with a few rubles so I can eat today,” the pauper...Read more...
New Commandments We Sorely Need #614
02/14/2020 05:00:00 PM
This past week, one of our Hebrew school students — a brilliant but sometimes mischievous lad— was sent to my office to have a “talk with the rabbi.”
I adore this child for his brilliance, his penchant for asking great questions and his ability to retain information. But this past week, the imp within him rose to the surface.
He placed a tack on his teacher's chair — and well, you can...Read more...
The Torah In One Sentence #613
02/07/2020 05:00:00 PM
The Torah in One Sentence
Hardly a day has passed since I became a rabbi that someone has not introduced themselves by saying, “Rabbi, I'm really not that religious.” Frequently, as I meet with a family before eulogizing a mother or father, I hear, “He (or she) didn't believe in religion, still, they...Read more...
Children And Elders Together #612
01/31/2020 05:00:00 PM
About 25 years ago, while attending a public meeting in Fort Chipewyan — a First Nations community in northern Canada — I experienced what it truly means to “honor your elders.”
Seven or eight seniors, each holding the hand of a teenage grandchild, were led to the first two rows of the community hall and were seated.
The section was clearly marked — “for the elders” — and at...Read more...
Mon, April 6 2020
12 Nisan 5780
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