Friday March 13, 2026/24 Adar 5786/Shabbat Vayakhel-Pekudei Shabbat HaChodesh Hevre/Friends, Week after week, our ancient Torah narratives never fail to educate and inspire us as we navigate our modern world. Reeling from multiple violent attacks against North American Jewish communal institutions this last week makes the reflection prompted by this week’s double portion of Vayakhel-Pekudei truly haunting. In the spirit of this continuous revelation, I can’t help but imagine

Friday March 6, 2026/17 Adar/Shabbat Ki Tisa Shabbat Parah וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם ׀ עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה ׀ מֹשֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֙נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ׃ When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make u

“Forgetfulness leads to exile. Remembrance leads to redemption.” (Ba’al Shem Tov) Hevre/Friends, Shabbat Zachor. Time to remember the savage Amalekites who attacked us in the desert. To blot out their evil presence and power from the world. A biblical commandment for every Jew to hear and heed. Read just days before Purim when we retell the story of Esther and our people in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) and the vicious Haman - a descendant of Amalek - who tried to destroy

Friday February 20, 2026/3 Adar 5786/Parashat Terumah Hevre/Friends, We’ve all had one. A flash of insight or discovery that brings us much-needed perspective; a revelation or epiphany that solves a serious, even existential, riddle with which we’ve been wrestling. “Aha” moments can happen anywhere, not only atop Mount Sinai where Moses is sitting right now in our Torah reading cycle - although, as a hiker, I agree that summit views can be revelatory.  Years ago my yoga teach

Friday February 13, 2026/26 Sh'vat 5786/Parashat Mishpatim-Shabbat Shekalim Hevre/Friends,   My daughter Nomi and I came to Costa Rica to celebrate her 25th birthday with four days in the jungle and the balance at a yoga resort. The precious days we’ve had together have gifted us so many opportunities for deep mother-daughter conversation and sharing; something we, thankfully, enjoy regularly with each other. But being away from the busy-ness of life and today’s chaotic world

Friday February 6, 2026/19 Sh'vat 5786/Parashat Yitro Hevre/Friends, In a world wracked by so much chaos of so many kinds, we ache for leaders. Moral, political, spiritual leaders on whom we can depend; who steady our fear and anxiousness with dignity, with courage and competence; who bring us hope. We look outside ourselves for clarity and direction. But there’s somewhere else we ought to look first. One of the most meaningful pieces of Torah from the late Rabbi Jonathan Sac

Friday January 30, 2026/12 Sh'vat 5786/Parashat B'Shalach Shabbat Shirah Hevre/Friends, What a week.  An emotional rollercoaster. Ran Gvili, z”l, was finally brought home from Gaza for burial.  Closure for the hostages.  Relief for us all.  Ongoing heartbreak for the devastation of October 7, as the families whose lives were shattered keep searching for how to carry their burdens. (Read Rachel Goldberg Polin’s aching essay this week here .) Chaos, shootings, and the killing o

Friday January 23, 2026/5 Sh'vat 5786/Shabbat Bo וּ לְמַ֡עַן תְּסַפֵּר֩ בְּאזְנֵ֨י בִנְךָ֜ וּבֶן־בִּנְךָ֗ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִתְעַלַּ֙לְתִּי֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְאֶת־אֹתֹתַ֖י אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בָ֑ם וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּי־אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ So that you speak into the ears of your children and grandchildren  and tell them how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed My signs among them—in order that you may know that I am God. (Parshat Bo, Shemot 10:2) Hevre/Friends, We each prob

Friday January 16, 2026/27 Tevet 5786/Shabbat Vaera וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר הֵ֤ן בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֣וּ אֵלַ֔י וְאֵיךְ֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֣נִי פַרְעֹ֔ה וַאֲנִ֖י עֲרַ֥ל שְׂפָתָֽיִם׃  But Moses appealed to יהוה, saying, “The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, me—who gets tongue-tied!”  (Parshat Vaera, Exodus 6:12) Hevre/Friends, My mother-in-law, Mavis, z”l, was one of the sweetest, funniest, people I knew. And also one

Friday January 9, 2026/20 Tevet 5786/Shabbat Shemot וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃ These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household (Shemot 1:1) Hevre/Friends, One day after last week’s Shabbat message about grandparents, my sister Malka and brother-in-law Elan welcomed their 5th grandchild - my mother’s 7th great-grandchild - into their growing family

Friday January 2, 2026/13 Tevet 5786/Shabbat Vayechi וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־בָנֶ֩יךָ֩ הַנּוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־לִֽי׃ Now, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine no less than Reuben and Simeon.  (Genesis 48:5) Hevre/Friends, As the youngest of four very close siblings

Friday December 26, 2025/6 Tevet 5786/Shabbat Vayigash אֲנִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף…אֲנִי֙ יוֹסֵ֣ף אֲחִיכֶ֔ם…כִּי־פִ֖י הַֽמְדַבֵּ֥ר אֲלֵיכֶֽם I am Joseph…I am Joseph your brother…it is my mouth that speaks to you (Bereshit 45: 3-12) Hevre/Friends, While backpacking in China in the summer of 1988, my friend Paula and I found ourselves in a hotel lobby in Nanjing. No sooner had we entered when the manager, a Chinese man, made a beeline for us. With great excitement, and to our great surprise

Friday December 19, 2025/29 Kislev 5786/Shabbat Hanukkah Hevre/Friends,   15 people murdered. More than 40 injured. The losses of love, friendships, community are impossible to quantify. But there’s another loss from the Sydney terrorist attack that’s even harder to assess.  The images are so incongruous: in Sydney, a man rushes to tackle the shooter, wresting the gun from his hands and neutralizing him. With his white shirt and black slacks, the hero might have easily been c

Friday December 12, 2025/22 Kislev 5786/Shabbat Vayeshev וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light (Genesis 1:3) Hevre/Friends, For the second time in less than three months, Andi and I will be celebrating the marriage of one of our children this weekend as her daughter, Tamar, weds her beloved - and ours - Eitan. Sunday afternoon’s wedding is taking place on the eve of Hanukkah which is Tamar’s Hebrew birthday, hence

Friday December 5, 2025/15 Kislev 5786/Shabbat Vayishlach הָסִ֜רוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּתֹֽכְכֶ֔ם וְהִטַּֽהֲר֔וּ וְהַֽחֲלִ֖יפוּ שִׂמְלֹֽתֵיכֶֽם: Remove the idols you took as spoil from the non-Jews in Shechem and that are now in your possession; ritually purify yourselves; and change your clothes. (Genesis 35:2) Hevre/Friends, Fall is always a special time in New York: crisp air and paths of burnt-orange leaves make for invigorating walks through Central Park; sm

Friday November 28, 2025/8 Kislev 5786/Shabbat Vayetze Hevre/Friends, Waking up the Friday morning after Thanksgiving to the smells of soup, roasting vegetables and chicken might make someone feel like they’re in the movie Groundhog Day, but for many of us it could not be more normal. After all, it’s Shabbat in a few hours and dinner has to be made. I mean, leftovers might only go so far, at least in our family! As per our weekly routine, Andi and I put on our favourite Frida

Friday November 21, 2025/Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5786/Shabbat Toldot וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֜ב אֶל־אָבִ֗יו אָנֹכִי֙ עֵשָׂ֣ו בְּכֹרֶ֔ךָ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esav, your first-born.”  Hevre/Friends, Cringeworthy. That’s the only word for some of the Torah’s disturbing scenes of our ancestors behaving badly: Sarah insisting Abraham banish Hagar and Ishmael to the desert; God commanding Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and Abraham listening; and this week, at the insistence of his mot

Friday November 14, 2025/23 Cheshvan 5786/Shabbat Chaye Sarah In Memory of Dr. Stephen Diamond, z"l Hevre/Friends,   Yesterday I had the privilege of presiding over the funeral of a man I didn’t know but from whom I learned a great deal. He wasn’t a public figure or social activist, but he taught me valuable lessons about how to exercise my personal agency to help heal the rifts of our time.   Almost every one of the eulogies shared by Steve Diamond's family stressed that amo

Friday November 7, 2025/ 16 Cheshvan 5786/Shabbat Vayera Hevre/Friends,   Did I make the right decision? Should I have made another choice? What if I was wrong about him? What if I was right about him?   No, I’m not talking about the NYC mayoral election. I’m talking about Avraham in the Akedah/Binding of Isaac story from this week’s Torah portion. But on some level I actually am talking about the election.    Most of the classical commentators read details of the story such

Friday October 31, 2025/ 9 Cheshvan 5786/Shabbat Lech Lecha וַיִּשָּׂא־ל֣וֹט אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־כּל־כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן כִּ֥י כֻלָּ֖הּ מַשְׁקֶ֑ה - לִפְנֵ֣י ׀ שַׁחֵ֣ת יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶת־סְדֹם֙ וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָ֔ה  - כְּגַן־יְהֹוָה֙ כְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בֹּאֲכָ֖ה צֹֽעַר׃ Lot looked about him and saw how well watered was the whole plain of the Jordan, all of it— this was before יהוה had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah —all the way to Zoar, like the garden of יהוה, like the land of E