My father’s charoset and matzah ball soup, afikomen fondue and the full moon. These are a few of my favorite (Passover) things. Part of me is very much looking forward to the songs and flavors of seder season. But another part of me is feeling quite anxious and avoidant, even fearful. (I have uncharacteristically not started my Pesach cleaning).  As one of the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover is designed to bring us all together, across time and space. That is its legacy. Sed ..read more

This morning when I woke I saw six daffodils had bloomed in front of my house, three yellow and three white. I planted those bulbs 8 years ago when Naim was a baby and Trump had just been elected. Another moment when I needed hope. How do they do it? Year after year?They looked so spry and delighted to be on earth, which was a helpful counterpart to my heart state. I am so so sad. I am devastated that Israel broke the ceasefire and the fighting has resumed. There is famine in Sudan. Our own gove ..read more

Each week I crawl inside the quiet of my own heart and dig deep to connect the dots and draw out some words of wisdom (ideally!). But today is not an ordinary Friday, it is also Purim! Purim is a holiday devoted to blurring boundaries, subverting power and inverting reality. It is a brave, cathartic and risky spiritual practice to loosen our moral grip and allow the absurd to be our primary teacher. The enduring irony of the Book of Esther comes to a spiritual head in Chapter 9. Last n ..read more

"Why did the Jewish person bring a ladder to the synagogue?Because they heard the service was going to be uplifting! "This really is my hope each week. To bring some joy and levity to this community. Especially these days, when the news is grim and stress is high. Over the years I have noticed that my favorite teachers are the ones who make me laugh, while imparting their wisdom. From them I have learned to bring humor to shabbat services. Shosh says I am most funny on the bi ..read more

For most of us, the image of God as King is uncomfortable. On Rosh Hashanah, we sweeten and swallow it with apples and honey. We mumble it in Hebrew blessings (eloheinu melech haolam), but when confronted with the English translations, we cringe and rewrite the metaphor. But this week, God as King is strangely comforting to me. The entire rabbinic tradition of talking about kingship makes sense to me in a new way. As if to say, something compassionate, just, indivisible, and even ..read more

It is strange how often I find myself asking “What is Torah?” As a rabbi, one might think the answer would be straightforward. Yet, as both a student and a teacher, I keep returning to this question. Not just what can Torah teach us, but what is Torah itself? It comes up in nearly every grade at Torah school, as they iteratively expand their understanding of what Torah includes. From the sacred scroll to the ever-expanding midrashic traditions, to their own ideas and insights. I ..read more

One of the most precious parts of every week is joining the KT Torah School during their prayer time with Rabbi Michelle.These kids have learned to pray, from their hearts, for what they care about most. Apparently, last week, when asked who they wanted to pray for, my younger child responded, “For every country who will be part of World War III.” When Rabbi Michelle told me this, my heart sank. Granted my kids have been playing a lot of Risk (a board game about imperialism ..read more

This week previews the undoing of creation.In the beginning, the Torah asserts, the world was tohu va’vohu - vacuous and chaotic, teeming with possibility and lacking order. The creation story that begins with the famous words “let there be light,” includes six days of creation and culminates in a dynamic pause known as Shabbat, is well known to many of us.What many of us (self included until this week!) may not realize is that the story of the 10 plagues, which ..read more

There have been two refrains playing on repeat in my head all week long. The first refrain comes from the wisdom of Whitney Houston:“… I decided long agoNever to walk in anyone's shadowsIf I fail, if I succeedAt least I'll live as I believeNo matter what they take from meThey can't take away my dignity”And second, the words to the equanimity meditation that I shared on Rosh Hashanah. May I be at ease with the changing conditions of lifeMay I allow joy and s ..read more

Let me begin by praying, with all my heart, that the ceasefire actually begins on Sunday. I pray that both Israeli and Palestinian hostages/prisoners can return home and that we can see this ceasefire through. Blessed are you, God, who frees captives. Please God let there be peace. This has been a disorienting week. Despite more than a year of organizing for a ceasefire and to stop the new Arena in Chinatown, the nearly simultaneous announcements came as surprises. I definitely feel gr ..read more