Theodor Herzl wrote, “Dreams are not so different from deeds as some may think. All the deeds of men are only dreams at first.” The book of Exodus concludes with the construction of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. We began the book as slaves in Egypt, and could only dream of freedom. They were used to building monuments to Pharaoh, not sanctuaries for God. Today, the State of Israel, celebrating 70 years of existence, continues to dream. Yet, today, the dream is different, as Israel looks outward to help the world. Each year, at the AIPAC Policy Conference, we learn of…
Honorable Mensch-ion
Hands Up
Try to hold your hands above your head, with your arms straight into the air. It is a difficult stretch to do for more than a minute. Yet, this is exactly what Moses did to lead the Jewish people into battle against Amalek. The midrash teaches that Moses’ hands were spread toward the heavens with faithful and well-intended prayer. This Sunday morning, over 200 members of Sinai Temple will gather in Washington, D.C. for the AIPAC Policy Conference, in support of the US-Israel relationship. As Jews, we know we never do anything alone. We study Torah with a hevruta, a…
Eternal Light
I remember the first time I saw that the ner tamid, the eternal light, was not lit. It was a harrowing experience. As I grew older, I saw the lamp not only as an object, but as a motivating factor of God’s presence. The Torah teaches that this light should be tamid, eternal. The Rabbis ask, “What is eternal?” Should it be continually or should it be constant? Sefer Hachinuch, the book detailing the 613 mitzvot, instructs us that the underlying purpose of kindling the flame is to increase the grandeur of the Temple and thus glorify our own hearts with this…
Pray for Parkland
This week’s Torah is a prayer by Rabbi Nicole Guzik. Ribono shel olam, Master of the Universe, it is with anger, rage, confusion and sorrow that we turn our hearts to you. Today, parents prepare funerals for their babies. Today, parents grieve the hopes and visions of children graduating high school, falling in love, achieving professional goals, and manifesting their dreams. Dear God, help us to reach those that mourn and are afraid. Let the families of Parkland, Florida hear our voices and feel bolstered by our words. This world cannot be defined by destruction and fear. Give us the…
Prisoners of Hope
As a recently bereaved brother, I learned quickly that even a rabbi needs a rabbi in times of need. Over the past four months of reciting the Kaddish daily, I discovered that my rabbis are my congregants in the daily minyan. People who sit shivah, are in shloshim, are in a year of mourning, or are observing a yahrzeit… We each recite the same words but we each have different stories to tell. While Torah explicitly prohibits causing distress to an orphan and widow, Rashi includes in this prohibition all downtrodden individuals. Sefer Hachinuch teaches that the widow and the…
Good Mistakes
The Maggid of Yerushalayim would tell a story of a father who complained bitterly that his son had joined a yeshiva. “How could he do this to me?” he lamented. “My parents were religious and I was smart enough to move away from all of that. I brought my son up in a totally irreligious manner and now, of all places, he decides to go to a yeshiva?! Why can’t he be like me?” he complained to the Rabbi. The Rabbi turned to the father and said, “But he has! He’s grown up just like you. You disregarded what your…
Bring The Torah With You
As Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s children were preparing his scholarly works for publication, the famous Rabbi said to them, “Among the responses, you will undoubtedly find many letters to those who studied in my yeshiva. Please do not refer to them as my students, for I have never called anyone my student. How can I know who has learned more from whom?” As Joshua goes out to recruit an army to defeat the tribe of Amalek, Moses tells him, “Choose for us.” Rashi says this refers to both Moses the teacher, and Joshua the student. Our tradition teaches that our students…
What’s Your Story?
Reading bedtime stories to our children is a favorite ritual of any parent. We are cognizant that show and tell is the greatest way of teaching. The sole purpose of our Passover Seder is to entertain the children through the Exodus narrative. The rituals are the props of the theater presented before us. Our tradition commands us to tell our own story, but before we can narrate, we must be able to listen to the stories that came before us. Every Jewish child grows up understanding the Exodus because we continue to tell it. By Kindergarten, most children can recite…
A Good Joke
A Rabbi and a Pastor walk into a restaurant is usually the start of a good joke, but I have been fortunate to live this reality. Over the past two years, I have established a beautiful friendship with Pastor John Paul Foster of Faithful Central Bible Church, a young professional who is passionate about faith, community, and Israel. Pastor Foster and I break bread together regularly, discovering news ways in which we can assist the other’s community in our sacred work. Rabbi Joseph Hertz emphasizes that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart ten times and nine times God caused his intransigence. Over…
Roses and Thorns
My friend has a tradition at his dinner table. He asks each member of his family to share a “rose” and a “thorn,” something positive and something negative that occurred that day. This activity is a way for the children and parents to connect and puts the day in perspective. Theologian Paul Tillich writes that a symbol opens up levels of reality which otherwise are closed for us. Roses and thorns are purely symbols, but they represent the reality of the world in which we participate. We each have difficult and beautiful moments, often occurring simultaneously. As Moses shepherds his…
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