This week we begin the fourth book of the Torah, Sefer Bamidbar. We turn away from Priestly responsibilities centered in the tabernacle, and return our focus to the narrative of the Children of Israel wandering in the desert, in Hebrew “Bamidbar.” There is a passage in this Parshah that always grabs my attention, “And these are the offspring of Aaron and Moses on the day that God spoke with Moses on Mt. Sinai. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the firstborn was Nadav, and Avihua, Elazar and Ithamar. These were the names of the sons of Aaron…” (Num. Read more...

As children, we think staying up all night is pretty cool. Remember the first time you vowed to stay awake for something special? In all likelihood, it ended with you falling asleep,leaving unfulfilled the desire to experience the special occasion of the night. Fast forward to college – an all-nighter took on new significance as a last ditch effort to cram for the big exam (memorizing information that many would say they forget not long after the exam is over) or put the finishing touches on an important paper (one that often made up the majority of the semester grade). Read more...

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, great sage of his generation, was once walking with his disciple, Rabbi Joshua, near Jerusalem after the destruction of the Holy Temple. Rabbi Joshua looked at the temple ruins and said, "Alas for us the place which atoned for the sins of the people Israel lies in ruins." Then Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai spoke to him these words of comfort, saying, "Do not grieve, my son. There is another way of gaining atonement even though the temple is destroyed. Read more...

2011 Ordination Charge to the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies Ordinands Read more...

Several years ago I had the pleasure of taking a trip to the land of Israel traveling with my wife, Elana, and with a dear friend and rabbinic colleague. At some point Elana had some family business in Tel Aviv, so I and my friend took a bus ride to the North, to the mystical city of Tzvat. On the bus we were approached by someone wearing a black hat, very strictly observant, who started a religious argument in which I declined to participate, but which my colleague and friend seemed to enjoy. Read more...