The recent flare-up in Gaza rests on two assumptions: one, that the majority of the world will believe Hamas’ obfuscations, lies and manipulations and, two, that Jews must never fight back.  Only one has proven true.   Everyone knows what Hamas wants.  It is no secret.  The terror group has spoken about it publicly: kill…

The Torah portion this week (Shemini II) teaches us which foods are permitted (kosher) and which are not.  They are very clear to understand.  They are very easy to follow.  And, they are utterly confusing! Let’s start with seafood – appropriate since we live by the ocean.  The Torah teaches that only fish that have…

https://www.beittshuvah.org/ Purim is, without doubt, the strangest of all Jewish holidays.  We dress up in masks and go around hootin’ and hollerin’ (as we used to say in Mississippi) whenever we hear the name of Haman.  We have a carnival and celebrate our salvation from certain demise at the hand of clueless king, Ahashverosh, and…

The new year, be it secular or Jewish, is a time of refection and recollection.  Rosh Hashanna is our time to reflect on our sins and the changes we want to make in our souls.  I suppose the same can be said about the secular new year but it seems to me that most of…

One of the great joys I have in life is being able to teach young adults.  I love it when they learn.  And I love being a part of that process. Around this time of the year, my Teen Academy students – all post b’nai mitzvah students who want to continue to learn with me…

As you all know, Israel has caved into the ultra-Orthodox parties and has suspended an agreement to create an egalitarian prayerspace at the Western Wall, the Kotel thereby breaking a deal that was four years in the making with the liberal streams of Israeli Jewry.  The government asserts that the agreement is ‘suspended.’  This is…