Having celebrated Rosh Hodesh Nisan this week – the new month of Nisan, I have naturally turned my attention to the monumental task of cleaning and preparing for Passover.  And, no matter how many times I promise myself that this will be the year that I stop myself from becoming too obsessive about the preparation, at some point in the process, I know (because it happens each year) I will stop in the middle of scrubbing the oven or the sink or the counter or the floor or some other part of the house and ask – ‘Did I forget anything?’  And, it is in this moment that I will undoubte Read more...

"Rabbi, I never joined a synagogue, and we don't practice our religion at home, but I've always had a warm feeling for Judaism in my heart.  I know that I've always been a good Jew."  Over and over again, in countless variations, Jews rehearse these lines before rabbis, federation volunteers, and anyone else who holds a position of Jewish responsibility:   "I don't show support in any visible way, you can't tell I'm Jewish by any practice in my life, but all of that means nothing compared to the powerful emotional connection I nurture inside.  Deep down, I'm Jewish" Read more...

Sefer Vayikra, the Book of Leviticus, is at the center of the Torah, not only spatially, but also spiritually. More than any other single book, Vayikra sets the tone and establishes the central themes of biblical and rabbinic Judaism throughout the ages. Read more...

Most Jews would associate 'hametz' (leaven) with the festival of Pesach.  After all, it is before that holiday that we remove all 'hametz' from our homes, burn some 'hametz,'  nullify it with a vow on the morning before the first Seder and appoint a Rabbi to be our agent to sell any remaining 'hametz' to a non-Jew.   Read more...