Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

According to US News, 80% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second week of February. According to OnePoll it takes the average person 32 days or less to break their resolution. Spoiler alert: This custom of “New Year’s resolutions” to lose weight, exercise more, save money, or eat better is highly likely to fail. You are not at fault. The truth is, keeping our resolutions, changing our behavior, creating new habits is really hard. We need support, progress trackers, realistic goals, and constant reminders. Read more...

Each December, the blood pressure of the Jews of America rises.  Once a year, we feel like outsiders in our own country – bombarded by songs announcing the birth of the “king of Israel,” watching the seasonal eruption of good cheer and kindness (soon forgotten in the drunkenness of New Years,) returning home to unlit, treeless houses amidst the stirring color, smells, and lights of Christmas. December can be a depressing time to be Jewish.  Read more...

As I re-read this week's Torah portion (the first of four which narrates the story of Joseph and his brother), I was struck anew by the Torah's description of Joseph's journey into slavery. Read more...

On Veterans Day, we honor the veterans who served our nation and recognize those who have made personal sacrifices for our country and fought for our shared values. Other nations and times in history have seen mandatory conscription to the armed forces, but today the United States is blessed to have a volunteer military corps. While this reality is a blessing to those citizens for whom military service is not a personal ambition, it is also a reality that creates a divide of experience between civilians and service members, both past and present. Read more...

Simchat Torah is a holiday of re-reading. We complete our annual cycle and begin again with the Story of Creation. I am a big re-reader. I love returning to the texts that move me most and discovering in them new resonance based on the state of my life or the state of our world. Read more...