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...

‘’Those who can’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’’  That famous quotation by philosopher George Santayana seems...

In many faiths, not just Judaism, people look forward to certain traditional foods that are customarily eaten on the holidays. In our...

Jewish holidays often have multiple names applied to them.  Chanukah, for example, is known as Chag HaUrim, the Festival of Lights.  Rosh...

Happy Purim to all!  We had a great gathering last evening for the Megillah readings, both our family reading and the traditional full...

I have always been fascinated by the biographies of the Presidents of the United States.  I am uncertain how I got hooked on this, but...

Sixteen years have passed since my last trip to Israel.  While I am aware of many changes in that time, I, like many other Jews around...

Every Monday evening, a group of us at Temple B’nai Israel gather on Zoom to study a rabbinic text. We have looked at biblical texts with...

Like many people, I have found the avalanche of Executive Orders being issued by the President of the United States in the past few weeks...

This week, as we mark the new month of Sh’vat on the Jewish calendar, many of our neighbors around the world are celebrating the Lunar...

In Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers, we are urged to be disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving all people and...