An Honest Days Work Deserves a Pay Check

You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers, or one of the strangers who are in your land inside your gates;

At his day you shall give him his wages, nor shall the sun go down upon…

For those who want to discuss Trayvon Martin without bringing up race:

(From my Facebook) The sad thing is that we cannot have a dialogue about this without bringing up race/racism. We live in a country where people are treated suspiciously for being Muslm, Arab, black, brown…

Jewish Belonging

Who is a Jew, is a basic question about Jewish identity. The question is based on ideas about membership to the Jewish people. Jewish identity has long been a source of questions and concerns for all Jews. How do we explain Jewish identity?

Thanksgiving

This year I have decided that I do not want to spend my Thanksgiving with a turkey. For the last few years (with a few exceptions) I have been to people’s homes for the Thanksgiving meal, eating bad food and/or being at tables where I can only eat a few items. I have decided not to do that this year. I…

The Future Jewish Community

I often find myself thinking about the kind of Jewish community I’d like to help build as a rabbi and or be a part of as a Rabbi. I want to find ways to connect with Jews that do not feel welcomed in Jewish communities. This is also a personal issue for me because as a queer Jew…

Shacharit and weight training. Finding creative ways to daven.

I have generally believed in the concept of mind, body and spirit; and when the three are connected life is pretty good. This year I have been challenged around the concept of prayer. My main problem was, how to fit it in…

Choseness

Chosenness

In Judaism, “chosenness” is the belief that the Jewish people were singularly chosen to enter into a…