Rabbi Sherman - Honorable Mensch-ion

There is no shortage of bitterness today. All I need to write is a list of cities. Toronto synagogues shot at last week. Temple Israel of Detroit attacked yesterday. Rotterdam synagogue arson attack. This is only in the last seven...

Someone once asked me if I am bored on Shabbat because of all of the Biblical and Rabbinic restrictions we are given. I answered with the words my daughter tells me each Friday on the way to school. “Abba, I’m...

If I told you the Jewish people received the Torah on Purim, you would tell me that I confused my Jewish holy days.  Let’s reflect on the initial giving of Torah at Mount Sinai. The Midrash tells us God lifted...

Each year, our schools auction off “Rabbi For The Day.” A young student receives the opportunity to follow the rabbi throughout the day. When I prepare for this moment, I think to myself, “What do I want a young person...

For the last five years, I have interviewed athletes, coaches, owners, and many individuals who are involved with sports on my podcast, “Rabbi on The Sidelines.” Over and over again, I ask them, what is the key to their success....

As we read the Ten Commandments this Shabbat, we often focus on the “popular ones.” Don’t murder, don’t steal, and honor your parents. Yet, we must look carefully at how the commandments begin. Anochi adonai eloheicha–I am the Lord your...

One of the first prayers our children learn is Mi Chamocha, who is like you God? The Israelites recited these words as they crossed the sea. Each Wednesday morning, at our Douglas Family ECC Mini-Minyan, the students and parents alike...

Rashi asks a simple but profound question question when teaching about the mitzvah of the new moon. How much of the moon must be visible to consecrate it as a new moon? Rashi teaches that God held out God’s finger...

While every Shabbat is special, there is one as a Jew in America that I look forward to with special intention: UNITY Shabbat. As we mark a day of service to honor the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.,...

As the Jews were enslaved in Egypt, we learn that their lives were embittered by hard labor, b’farech. The Rabbis give two interpretations. First, we were enticed to Egypt, b’peh-rach, with soft words. The hard labor did not begin until...