In Genesis 12:1, God calls to Abram, telling him to leave his homeland and to go to a land that God will show him. Abram and Sarai follow God’s command, pack up their lives, and begin their journeys. Ten verses later, Abram, Sarai, and their household are about to enter Egypt, when Abram turns to Sarai and says, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. If the Egyptians see you, and think, ‘She is his wife,’ they will kill me and let you live.” Abram continues by proposing a so

A couple years ago, while I was visiting my family in Memphis, I spent an afternoon doing what everyone does on vacation… digitizing old family photographs. As I sorted through the pictures in the “Rachel” box, I came across a polaroid of myself, standing in a grocery store next to the homeliest Easter Bunny that I have ever seen. Feeling both bemused and confused, I took the picture to my mom and asked her why I looked so uncomfortable standing next to the Easter Bunny. My m

I was taught, and I believe, that the Torah is not the history of the world but is instead the Jewish people’s way of telling our own story. By thinking about the Torah in this way, we are freed from worrying about whether biblical events match the historical record because the value of the text is no longer based on the historical record. Instead, we can understand the Torah as a kind of autobiography of the Jewish people, a record of the events and experiences that our ance

Narratives that coalesce around a single person who is the only one who can perform a critical task are ever present and ever popular. I can’t remember the first time that I encountered this kind of “chosen one” motif. Maybe it was during the opening minutes of 1992’s Aladdin movie. After the opening song, the screen is filled with the image of the lion-like Cave of Wonders which offers an impressive warning to the two would-be treasurer hunters as they approach its entrance.

Figuring out what I wanted to speak about tonight was a very lengthy and difficult process. I started and abandoned several sermons until ultimately, I decided to use this time to examine the concept of teshuvah, or repentance. I know some of you are thinking, “Ok, Rabbi, but Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement and Rosh Hashanah is the fun holiday. It’s the birthday of the world, and we’re supposed to be celebrating. Why not save the topic of teshuvah for your Yom Kippur sermo

Genesis 21:3 And Abraham called his son, the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, by the name Isaac (Yitzchak, “He-Will-Laugh”). 9 Now Sarah saw the Egyptian Hagar’s son—the one she bore to Abraham— laughing. 10 And she said to Abraham: “Expel this servant-woman and her son, for the son of this servant-woman will not share the inheritance with my son, not with Isaac.” I didn’t laugh for years after the day my father sent us out of our camp. My mother and I survived, a

God of Creation, as this new school year begins, we ask that You: Give our children open minds and hearts and let them encounter new, strange, and wonderful ideas. Let them laugh and play and learn and explore. Fill them with dreams for their future and the confidence to chase them. Surround them with adults who support & help them to be the strongest versions of themselves. Help them to accept setbacks and strive to overcome challenges. Keep their bodies and their spirits sa

On Wednesday, the Chief Executive and President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis released the following statement: “The Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by President Donald J. Trump’s politically charged and divisive statement referring to Jews who vote for Democrats [by saying]: “I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge, or great disloyalty.” The deployment of this classic antisemitic trope should raise serious concerns for every member

They quarreled immediately. [Lilith] said: ‘I will not lie below you.’ [Adam] said, ‘I will not lie below you, but above you. For you are fit to be below me and I above you.’ She responded: ‘We are both equal because we both come from the earth.’ Neither listened to the other. When Lilith realized what was happening, she pronounced the [secret] Name of God and flew off into the air. -Alphabet Of Ben Sira IMA*- I’m leaving. Your son, Adam, treats me with contempt and disrespec

A week and a half ago, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp signed what was at that point the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the country. This new legislation stops women from accessing abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. On his campaign website, Governor Kemp wrote, “I support a ‘Heartbeat Bill’ that outlaws abortions after six weeks. In fact, I am the only candidate for governor to signal support for the bill that was just passed in Iowa. ...it’s just common sense to me.

In Parashat Vayishlach, we read of the death of our matriarch, Rachel, who does not survive the birth of her second child, a boy whom she names Ben-oni. As she lay dying, the baby’s father, Jacob, renames him Benjamin (Gen. 35:16-18). The Torah does not tell us why this change is made. In this midrashic monologue, we imagine Rachel, in her final moments, whispering to her newborn: "Oh, my youngest child, my baby, you will know me only through the stories of others. I hold you

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel described Shabbat as a palace in time. In his mind, the hours from sundown to sundown knit together to form sacred architecture which is then fortified by our intentions, our study, and our prayers. Each week, we enter Shabbat as if we are opening the doors into a sanctuary of time, as if we are exchanging the reality of the world for the protected space of Shabbat. Last Saturday morning, an enemy brought hatred and violence into the sacred sanc

I stand with my sisters. I look to my left, and I see Dinah who has a knowing look in her eyes. She understands better than anyone what happens when your trauma is transformed into the story of a man’s battle. I look to my right, and I see Bilhah and Zilpah holding onto one another. They know what it means for your body to be used as a paving stone in someone else’s journey. Behind me stand my brothers. I catch sight of Isaac the silent. He carries with him the grief of

When the first and second Temples still stood in Jerusalem, Yom Kippur looked significantly different than it does today. The ancient version of the Day of Atonement is described in minute detail within the pages of the Mishnah and Talmud. From these sources, we know that while the high priest would have done quite a bit of work in order to prepare for the holy day, it wasn’t until the sun set on Erev Yom Kippur, that the rituals would begin in earnest. The high priest sp

Over the summer, I received a message from Rabbi Paul Kipnes, who serves a congregation in California. In addition to his pulpit work, Rabbi Kipnes is in the middle of creating material for the Reform Movement’s newsletter, Ten Minutes of Torah. He explained to me that he is in charge of the commentary for every portion in Genesis, and that for Vayishlach, the parashah that includes both the rape of Dinah and the birth of Benjamin, he wanted to work with a female rabbi and

In tractate Sanhedrin 17b of the Babylonian Talmud, we read: A Torah scholar is not allowed to live in a city that does not have these 10 things: a law court that metes out punishments; a charity fund that is collected by two people and distributed by three; a synagogue; a bath house; a public bathroom; a doctor; a craftsperson; a blood-letter; a butcher; and a teacher of children.” In an article on the importance of community, Rabbi Jill Jacobs explains that the Talmud estab

One of the most powerful and important motifs that we find in the High Holy Day prayer book is the idea of the Book of Life. On Rosh Hashanah and the first two thirds of Yom Kippur, over and over again we will invoke this idea in our prayers as we say, “Zochreinu l’chayim, melech chafeitz bachayim. V’chotveinu b’sefer hachayim l’maancha, Elohim chayim.” “Remember us for life, sovereign God who treasures life. Inscribes us in the Book of Life, for Your sake, God of Life.” A

God bless you, America, the shelter that my ancestors sought when their children were threatened by state-sponsored persecution. God bless you, America, the prison of those who were once deemed fractional human beings, the beloved home of those who have belonged to this land for unknowable amounts of time. God bless you, America, the country of endless migration waves and very short memories. America, the beautiful, the painful, the powerful. You have never been everything th

I used to wonder how the Egyptians felt when they saw infants condemned as enemies and threats. I used to wonder what Shifra and Puah thought when they heard the cries of Israelite mothers struggling to keep their families whole. I used to wonder what made Batyah defy her ruler, reach into the void, and rescue a baby of a foreign people. I used to wonder how God could allow the Israelite families to be shattered and torn apart. I used to wonder, but I no longer do. I am

Earlier this week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions used a quote from the New Testament to support the brutal separation of children and their parents. During a speech in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sessions remarked, “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and the lawful.” Press