Rabbi Guzik - A Bisl Torah

Humans are designed to fail, learn from our mistakes, and try again. There isn’t one perfect figure in the Torah. Abraham and Isaac were probably in a strange relationship after the almost sacrifice. Joseph and his brothers contain soap opera-worthy...

Rabbis are nervous during this season. We call it the season of renewal. Membership renewal—ensuring congregants return as members, enabling synagogues to provide strong Jewish and Israel education, to create pathways for growth in Jewish identity, and to be a...

This summer, our son suffered an injury to his face. He is completely fine, thanks to his wonderful counselors, doctors, and especially due to his fantastic surgeon. Shout out to Dr. Applebaum. We learned many lessons through the process, but...

During Elul, we think about the ways to return to each other, especially the relationships that are most fraught. Teshuvah is the process we engage in—returning to our best selves, returning to our loved ones, and returning to God. But...

As our daughter begins high school activities, we’ve started commuting. Until this point, school and shul have been directly across the street. An entirely new world of traffic, delays, angry drivers, and negotiating with the GPS has arrived. When I...

Frustration grows and anger abounds when it feels as if our concerns are unshared by others, especially when we are hurt or emotionally injured and that pain isn’t seen by someone we love. But the answer isn’t to care less....

The Talmudic sages determine the Holy Temples and Jerusalem were destroyed due to sinat chinam, senseless or baseless hatred. If there is a category of senseless hatred, does that mean there is a category of sensible hatred? What might sensible hatred...

It’s the season of road trips. On a long drive, we found ourselves at an intersection publicizing both Mount Whitney and Death Valley. The two locations are roughly two hours from each other: Two short hours between the highest peak...

Our children are soon coming home from their month at Camp Ramah. From the glimpses in photos and random, sometimes nonsensical letters we have received, they seem to be having a fabulous time. A month is a long duration to...

The Torah provides a discerning definition of a leader. In Parashat Pinchas, we learn about the qualities necessary of Moses’ successor. Rabbi Zalman Posner explains the Torah does not delineate someone with great homiletical skills or even of a certain...