Rabbi Sherman - Honorable Mensch-ion

This week was marked by doubles. I attended a shiva in between brit milah ceremonies. Each ceremony was filled with tears. The mohel explained we wait until the 8th day for a bris in order for the baby to experience...

In searching my inbox for a certain file, I came across an article I wrote 10 years ago as a rabbinic intern. Not only did it correspond with Parshat Balak, but it also honored the first yahrtzeit of my grandmother,...

As you enter Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah, the recorded narration plays in the shuttle bus. One voice from the Paiute Native American tribe declares, “We believe that everything in this world has a purpose. Human beings, animals, trees,...

Arthur Brooks, in his book “Love Your Enemies,” speaks of the difference between bonding and bridging. Bonding is surrounding ourselves with only like minded people who have opinions no different than the ones we hold. Bridging is sharing your story...

I did not grow up going to overnight camp. It just was not for me. I spent my days in day camps, swimming, and taking family trips. Yet, the last ten years, Rabbi Guzik and I have spent one week...

The Kotzker Rebbe was famous for saying, “Don’t just learn Torah….Be a Torah.” Each June, I have the luxury of wearing shorts and a t-shirt as we open Sinai Temple Basketball Camp. Over 70 kids of all ages and abilities...

It’s been said that we need to practice happiness in order to be happy. I never agreed with this. How can we practice an emotion without an authentic feeling? Our Torah teaches in the three part priestly blessing, “God should...

Over dinner, my children began to sing this song they learned in school. “We’re building a world of Torah, we’re building a world of Torah, one person at a time. And the world goes round and round and round.” This...

After reading an article about one of my local sports broadcaster’s struggle and eventual successful search to find a kidney donor for his renal failure, I decided to send him a message. I simply let him know that his voice...

Aloha means hello. Aloha means goodbye. But aloha also means love. Aloha was the word of the day last Shabbat, as 90 young professionals from Sinai Temple’s Atid community celebrated Shabbat on the island of Maui. I have observed Shabbat...