Rabbi Sherman - Honorable Mensch-ion

When we read about sacrifices in the Torah, they appear ancient, archaic, and out of touch with our lives. Yet, this week, they seem more appropriate than ever.   While most sacrifices consisted of animals given to the Temple, we...

In these unprecedented times, we and so many other synagogue communities have successfully built virtual communities. Online minyanim, a slew of Torah study and interactive opportunities through Facebook, YouTube and ZOOM.   While these opportunities have allowed us in the...

The events of this week are unprecedented. Schools, houses of worship, workplaces are closed. Every major sports league ceased playing. Education and communication goes online.   It is difficult for everyone, and for the Jewish community, a people who craves...

Religion’s purpose is to feed our souls. Often, spiritual nourishment is achieved through physical contact, by showing up and being present in the moment, by filling a seat in the pews. Yet, these actions continue to be challenging in the...

The following was featured in the Jewish Journal. The full article is accessible HERE Throw 25 rabbinical students from the major streams of Judaism on an Israeli tour bus for a week, and what do you get? A complicated situation....

I did not grow up attending overnight camp. I stuck with sports day camps. It was not until my first year as a Rabbi that I slept at a Camp Ramah and witnessed firsthand the powerful effect of Jewish camping...

The secular calendar tells us love is in the air. But the Jewish calendar and parshat Yitro inform us that it is God who wishes us to live a life of love.   When the Ten Commandments are given, it...

My four year old asked me while walking out the door this morning, “Abba, am I almost a grown up?” My six year old chimed in with a response. “I’m closer than you to being a grown up.”   I...

Zach Penprase grew up in Moorpark, CA, with very little Jewish identity, until he became an Olympic baseball player, representing the State of Israel. Zach’s mother is Jewish, and his grandmother is from the island of Rhodes. After connecting with...

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks tells of the times his father took him to the synagogue. His father had very little education, and sold garments on the street. Each week they would return home from the synagogue and young Jonathan would asked...