December 1, 2017 Allow me to share a passage from Pirke Avot: ‘ Pray for the integrity of the government; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive.’  The government that existed when this was written was the Roman empire and the author of this perek was…

The President’s choice to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is now a reality.  Twenty years ago it was voted affirmatively by Congress but every 6 months, the then-President could postpone the move for 6 months.  This postponing took place some 40 times. Why all the postponing?  Simply because there were constant…

I am disgusted. That is the only adjective I have after hearing what the President said about other human beings based on the color of their skin.  You have heard it all for the past 24 hours.  Over and over again.  Haitians live in a ‘shithole.’  Africa is a ‘shithole.’  My God, even the newspeople…

This week Beth Miriam will be having a very special Shabbat that comes at a most important time. After the President called countries that foul-laden term which clearly implied that people of color are not welcome in the United States (this was obvious to anyone hearing it despite the  later protestations), we as a temple…

When I was in Religious School in about Grade 7, we began our study of the Holocaust.  Of course, one of the questions that we raised was ‘how could such a thing have happened.’  It was a naive question, I realize now.  Hitler’s willing executioners were not the generals and the soldiers.  They were the…

Do you want to know the real difference between Israel and Hamas?  Once again, Hamas has underscored what all but the most oblivious have known for years: Hamas (an acronym in Arabic but a Hebrew word meaning ‘utter destruction’) is good only at destroying.  Frankly, I don’t expect anything else.  There are lots of theories…

This week’s parasha, Vayeira,  is one of those ‘pivotal moments’ in Jewish history.  The text says: ‎וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃2 וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רָץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה׃ 3 וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנָ֗י אִם־נָ֙א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ אַל־נָ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר מֵעַ֥ל עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃ 4 יֻקַּֽח־נָ֣א מְעַט־מַ֔יִם…