Rabbi Sherman - Honorable Mensch-ion

Ten years ago, I delivered my senior sermon at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America on parshat Ki Tavo. At the end of a series of blessings and curses, the Torah teaches us that we should “walk in God’s ways.”...

Rabbi Harold Kushner was once asked if the Psalms make a spiritual impact on people. His answer, “Only if they listen.” The cynic takes nothing seriously, finds nothing meaningful or sacred. The tribe of Amalek had a single motivation when...

Today, I learn how to sit again. For the last eleven months, I have recited the mourner’s kaddish to honor the memory of my brother, Eyal, of blessed memory. I stood at attention each morning, uttering these sacred words in...

The sound of the shofar and the ordering of honey are signs that the High Holy Days are approaching. Yet, a little known but significant indication of this season is the daily recitation of Psalm 27, beginning this Shabbat of...

This week, Rabbi Nicole Guzik and I are serving as Rabbis-in-Residence at Camp Ramah in Ojai, CA. Please enjoy the words that we sent to the families of Ramah campers. While I cannot count the number of times I have...

RecentIy, I was impressed when a young child told me that the tooth fairy gives him a $10 allowance for each tooth. I asked him, “What do you do with all that money? He said, “The first time I gave...

I recently sat in a meeting where we had the ability to set a vision for a program that would impact the Jewish world. We put no budgetary constraints or limits to what could impact this vision. At the conclusion...

As we finish the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar, we read the travel log of the Israelites. For several years, I led high school trips to Israel as we read this parsha. The tour guide would point to a...

It is difficult to make a wrong turn anymore. Protected by our mobile devices’ innate ability to have us reach our destination in the shortest time possible, even when we think we veer off course, a quick reminder tells us,...

While I have little experience camping, I do know that pitching a tent is a must. A Jewish tent seems to differ from the tents we are used to. Mah tovu ohalecha Yakov, how good are your tents, oh Jacob....