Originally posted on December 25, 2025 In 2010, during her confirmation hearings to become a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, in a particularly contentious moment, Elena Kagan was asked by Senator Lindsey Graham what she was doing on a particular Christmas Day under discussion, to which she replied: “You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.” Christmas presents an unusual challenge for many Jews, and, no doubt for other non-Christians, each year sin

Originally posted on December 12, 2025 ` At this week’s Board of Directors’ meeting for the Temple, it was formally announced that Micah Fogel would be assuming the chair of our Religious Committee as long-time chair Dave Fellman requested to step down from that position. Dave indicated that he will continue his involvement with some aspects of the committee’s work, but he felt it was time for someone else to take over the leadership of the committee. Many thanks to Dave who

Originally posted on November 21, 2025 According to Jewish law and, indeed, in most legal systems, a person is responsible for his or her own actions. Even if directed by a higher authority, a supervisor, a superior officer, a governmental official, to perform some action which is in violation of the law, contradicts the teachings of the Torah and halakha, or goes against the Constitution, that individual may not perform that illicit act and then claim that they were merely

Originally posted on November 14, 2025 In recent weeks these posts have been mostly about current events and Jewish values. We are bombarded with “Breaking News” constantly throughout the day and admittedly it becomes a little tiresome. This week’s theme seems to be the gradual release of the Epstein files, now that the government is reopened once more. I thought for a change of pace I’d return to the texts I enjoy and share with you what I found to be an interesting variati

Originally posted on November 6, 2025 At the very end of the Birkat HaMazon, the grace after meals, there is a quotation from Psalms that raises theological questions and troubles some people to the extent that they purposely omit it from the prayer. It states, “Na’ar hayiti v’gam zakanti,” “I was young and now I am old, v’lo raiti tzaddik ne’ezav v’zaro m’vakesh lachem, but have never seen a righteous person abandoned – that person’s children begging for bread.” Unfortunate

Originally posted on October 24, 2025 After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I wrote a piece on Freedom of Speech quoting the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution defending his right to express views that may be inimical to my own beliefs and, frankly, to the values of our religious teachings and the founding principles of this country, and arguing in favor of people learning to disagree without being disagreeable. Last Saturday, some seven to eight million Americans

Posted originally on September 28, 2025 On the Jewish calendar, almost exactly two years have passed since the horrific attack on Israel on Simchat Torah, by Hamas, the taking of some 250 hostages, and the ongoing response of Israel to obtain their release and to eliminate the threat posed for so many years by Hamas. Many of the hostages had been released in previous ceasefire arrangements and now on Monday, the twenty remaining living hostages were released and returned to

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of...

(Photo above: Aunt Esther and a much younger me next to Mom’s mirror, no longer in the living room in this later house, but now in the...

One of the most familiar prayers that we recite on the High Holidays is a poem inserted into the Musaf prayers known popularly by its...

On Monday, we began the new month of Elul, the final month of the Jewish year.  This is the month of preparation for the new year, Rosh...

Readers of my blog posts and emails over the past six years know well of my deep interest in all aspects of Jewish teachings and...

There is an ancient document, probably completed in the first or second century, known as Megillat Ta’anit, the Scroll of Fasts. In...

The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar adjusted to the seasons of the solar year. Since the moon circles the earth once every 29 ½ days,...

As we follow the conflict between Israel and Iran by the hour over the past week, many of us may recall a time before 1979 when Israel...

This week, on Saturday, we mark the national observance of Flag Day, a commemoration officially established in the 20th century, though...

It is a bit puzzling, perhaps, that when we pray for a Messiah, we speak of a successor to the throne of King David, Mashiach ben...

Our synagogue administrator, Marilyn Katz, has just gotten back in the last few days from a two-week visit to Israel. She had a 50 year...

We are all aware of the tremendous rise in antisemitism in this country and around the world since the unprovoked attack on Israel's...

Synagogue members from five congregations in the western suburbs of Chicago including Temple B’nai Israel, gathered on Thursday evening...