Our Jewish calendar is remarkably full. We move through biblical festivals, rabbinic holidays, major and minor fasts, modern commemorations, and special Shabbatot that prepare us for what comes next. One could almost agree with the children’s song, yesh li chag yom yom (I have a holiday every day.) it feels as though every day carries its own sacred weight. What fascinates me is not only the variety of these observances, but the way the rabbis wove them into a continuous sp

One of the most incredible statements found in the Torah is in Exodus 36 where we read of the collection of donations from the Israelites for the building of the desert tabernacle. There is an overwhelming response to the campaign, so great that the chief artisans, Bezalel and Oholiab come to Moses and tell him that the people have donated too much, they ask Moses to tell the people to stop. Talk about miracles in the desert. This tops them all, an oversubscribed fundraising

Major milestones in a country’s history tend to awaken interest in the great events of the past. Commemorations vary from the local parade and the backyard picnic to major national happenings with concerts and fireworks, special programs and souvenirs. I pulled out of my bookcase this week, Time Magazine’s Bicentennial edition with a young Thomas Jefferson on the cover. In honor of the occasion, Time decided to set its various editors and writers the task of covering their us

Monday night, I was pleased to be the guest of the Midwest Consul General for the State of Israel, Elad Strohmayer, along with more than six hundred other supporters of Israel from nine midwestern states that the consul serves, at the annual Yom HaAtzmaut reception. The guests included elected officials, business leaders, faith leaders, and community partners from throughout the region. The event took place in Skokie at a large strictly kosher banquet facility near Mariano’s

A synagogue hires a new cantor. He has a gorgeous voice, but he’s… dramatic. Operatic. Every note is a production. The congregation starts to complain. So the president of the shul meets with him and says, “Cantor, the people love you, but they say your best piece — your absolute finest moment was last Shabbat. ”The cantor beams. “Really? Which piece?” And the president answers: “The Silent Amidah.” It’s an old joke, but for some people it is really the truth. It is during t

In a Yemenite Midrash by the 15th‑century sage Choter ben Shmuel, the author addresses us directly: “Dear reader of this derash, know that the scholars have set boundaries for us within that which exists, beyond which we cannot pass. And there is a law violated only by one who wishes ‘to rise up to the heavens or descend to the depths of the sea.’ Such a person believes things that are impossible. He exercises free choice — ‘each person has the ability’ — and becomes excited

Jews often say that whenever you have two Jews together, you are likely to have three opinions. We laugh because it’s true, but beneath the humor lies something profound. Judaism treats disagreement not as a flaw but as a sacred tool. We are urged to consider multiple possibilities for understanding any concept. There are countless commentaries on the biblical and rabbinic texts. A limitless God, we believe, would hardly limit divine words to a single meaning. Each of us hear

In a speech delivered in Boston in 1890, Mark Twain attempted to define what a true civilization is. Finding the task difficult, he proposed a simpler method: list everything that civilization is not, subtract those elements, and “call the remainder ‘real’ civilization.” Any society marked by human slavery, despotic government, entrenched inequality, brutal punishments, widespread superstition, pervasive ignorance, and the universal presence of dirt and poverty, he argued, co

In congregations that gather on Shabbat afternoon for Mincha, Maariv, and Havdalah, there is often a quiet, liminal stretch of time between the afternoon service and the moment when evening can properly begin. Communities fill that in‑between space with a light meal, the Seudah Shlishit, the third Sabbath meal, and a bit of learning. The most common text for that study is Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers. Many traditional siddurim—including Lev Shalem—print Avot immedia

This coming Monday night and Tuesday is Lag BaOmer. Lag, lamed and gimel, represent the numbers 30 and 3, thus 33 days of the counting of the Omer, the days between the beginning of Passover and the observance of Shavuot, the 50-day period linking the Exodus from Egypt to the Revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Lag BaOmer is not an official holiday, yet as with many traditions in Judaism it takes on the trappings of a holiday, with special customs and rituals that set it

Posted March 20, 2026 - Nissan 2, 5786 The last item on our agenda at the Passover Seder just prior to dinner is designated as “Korech,” better known as “Hillel’s Sandwich.” After completing the mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus in various ways, we offer praise to God with the opening two Psalms of the Hallel prayers and a concluding blessing leading into the drinking of the second of the four cups of wine. At this point, we prepare for the festive meal. First, we wa

Originally Posted February 20, 2026 - 3 Adar, 5786 You may have noticed an article published last week in the Chicago Tribune by Adriana Pérez entitled “Human Composting Offers an Environmentally Friendly End. Some Are Pushing to Legalize It in Illinois.” Though this method of handling human remains is not presently offered in this state, as of last week, several companies who offer this service in Washington State where it has been legal since 2020, began offering logistica

Originally Posted February 27, 2026 - 10 Adar, 5786 This Shabbat, prior to Purim, is designated as Parashat Zachor. This is the second of the four special maftir readings and haftarahs preceding Purim and Passover at this season. “Zachor” means “remember,” the opening word of the maftir reading from Deuteronomy 25:17 – 19. “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt…You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” This

Originally Posted: March 6, 2026 - 17 Adar, 5786 Nearly a week has gone by since the attack on Iran by Israel and the United States began. I suspect that many of us have mixed emotions about this operation. Not too many tears have been shed for the death of the Supreme Leader and some 40 other figures in the Iranian leadership in the initial bombing raid by Israel. Khamenei and his leadership have been responsible for thousands of deaths in his own country, for the suppr

Posted: March 13, 2026 - 24 Adar, 5786 One of the first encounters I had with the study of Talmud was a Hillel class in college with a local rabbi teaching the tractate of Pesachim which deals with the laws of Passover. That text begins with the Mishnaic teaching: “Or la-arbaah asar bodkim et ha-chametz la-or ha-ner,” “On the eve of the 14 th day (of Nisan) we search for chametz (leavened products) by lamp light.” With all the detailed laws of Passover and their deep signifi

Originally Posted February 13, 2026 Last week our Torah portion of Yitro culminated with the dramatic events at Mount Sinai. After three days of preparation and purification, the Israelites, formerly enslaved to Pharaoh, stand at the foot of the mountain amidst thunder and lightning, the earth shaking, a blast of the shofar, and then the powerful voice coming forth from a cloud is heard: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of sla

Originally Posted February 6, 2026 It is striking that this week’s Torah portion containing the central moment of Jewish history—the Israelites standing at Sinai, receiving God’s word and the Ten Commandments—bears the name of Moses’ father‑in‑law, Jethro. By highlighting Jethro and his advice, the Torah draws our attention to an essential dimension of Moses and a lesson about leadership itself. After welcoming his father‑in‑law, who congratulates him on the success of his mi

Originally Posted January 30, 2026 When we think of our first patriarch, Abraham, not only was he singled out for his recognition of the one God, but his outstanding attribute was his hospitality to strangers, hachnasat orchim. The mIdrash tells us his tent was open in all directions so that he might not miss any passing stranger. Even shortly after his circumcision at age 99, we find him sitting at the entrance of his tent, seeking an opportunity to welcome strangers passing

Originally Published 1/23/2026 A few months ago, I wrote about the list of charges brought against the British monarch, George III, in 1776, as the central portion of the Declaration of Independence. I quoted my colleague Rabbi Gordon Tucker who had drawn some obvious comparisons between that list of grievances to policies that are being pursued by the current administration in this country. Reflecting on George III, I recalled that at a certain point his behavior manifested

Originally Posted January 16, 2026 In November 1967, the Ku Klux Klan placed a bomb at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, MS. They targeted the synagogue because its rabbi, Perry Nussbaum who had served the congregation since 1954 had been deeply involved in the civil rights movement, supporting black churches, marching with Dr. King and others, and had personally made weekly trips to check on individuals who were imprisoned some distance from Jackson for their roles in the