An obvious question this year is why, when the first day of RH comes out on Shabbat, don’t we blow the shofar?
Read More »What Is So Odd About Getting Even?
The 2022 Boulder Jewish Festival Film series, highlights several Holocaust related movies. One of the most prominent is "Plan A," the true story of attempted revenge on the Nazis by some Jewish groups. This article discusses some of the complex issues brought up by this film.
Read More »Craving Eternity
The Omer helps navigate the unknown terrain between Pesach and Shavuot, which is why it may be both an exciting and daunting time. We are meant to ascend, both temporally and inwardly, the space between being in Egypt and arriving at Mount Sinai.
Read More »Far From Home-Less
As we complete the book of Exodus with the construction of the Holy Sanctuary, I can’t help thinking of the following quote from 2021’s Academy Award’s winning film, "Nomadland." “I may be houseless, but not homeless” was one of the opening phrases by the laconic but sensitive, Fern.
Read More »Soul Retrieval
‘You can’t choose the card you’re dealt, but you can choose to live every minute of it.’
Read More »The Miracle Of Community
How can the saddest days of the year make someone happy?
Read More »Motherhood and Isolation
This week’s Torah portion, Tazriah, is a reminder that births are happening while our focus may be on sickness.
Read More »The Space Between Us
This week’s parsha bears a striking echo to our current situation. It is the law of someone who got Tzaraat, a disease with physical symptoms of spiritual flaws that affected the person’s body, clothes, or even homes.
Read More »Home Alone – A Mystical Take On The Quarantine
This year’s Passover seders will be smaller than ever, but they may prepare us for the biggest event in history.
Read More »What Kind of Pesach Is This Going to Be?
How is this Passover different to all other Passovers? Well, in just about every way possible.
Read More »What Is The ‘Nu’ Normal?
We just finished reading the book of Exodus, and also the last of the special Torah readings before Passover. This reading, ‘the chapter of the NEW moon,’ begins with the mandate to declare the upcoming month of Nisan, as the first month in the Jewish calendar.
Read More »To Beat An Unbeatable Foe
Chanukah may be over but its message is not. Especially with recent challenges to Jewish lives, we need to find experiences that bolster our determination to thrive, and our confidence in humanity.
Read More »Our Wandering Minds
If you are human, comparing mind is your constant companion. And, a natural result of these non-stop mental comparisons is that we often find ourselves feeling lacking, less than, craving to be, or to have, more.
Read More »This Passover We Need to Journey Out of Our Own Egypt
One of the main points of the Seder is to feel as if we are actually going out of Egypt on the night of Passover.
Read More »Why the Shofar and Not the Violin?
Did you ever stop to think about why we blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashonah?
Read More »Shabbat Nugget – Jewish Civil Law, Principals or Justice?
In this week's Torah portion we learn many of the civil laws of the Torah.
Read More »Rabbi Marc’s Dash of Drash: Impeccability
After the ecstatic and transformative moment of revelation at Sinai, Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus 21-24) calls on us to pay close attention to the details of our lives and the impact we have on the people and the world around us.
Read More »Rabbi Marc’s Dash of Drash: Until the Sun Rises
Episode 55 of Dash of Drash, Until the Sun Rises, is dedicated to Koby Gruenwald z"l.
Read More »Rabbi Marc’s Dash of Drash: Heart of Darkness
In Exodus - Heart of Darkness, episode 54 of A Dash of Drash, Rabbi Marc explores God's presence in darkness.
Read More »Rabbi Marc’s Dash of Drash: Divine Names With the Kirtan Rabbi
In Divine Names, episode 53 of A Dash of Drash, Rabbi Andrew Hahn, Ph.D, also known as the KirtanRabbi (affectionately Reb Drew), joins Rabbi Marc in conversation about the centrality of names, especially the names of the Divine, and how they connect to our practice and to our hearts.
Read More »Rabbi Marc’s Dash of Drash: Exodus – Narrative and Law
In Exodus - Narrative and Law, episode 52 of A Dash of Drash, a professor of bible and a rabbi explore different ways of finding meaning in ancient narratives, as we begin ritual reading the Book of Exodus.
Read More »Shabbat Nugget: Rachel
In this week's Torah portion we read about the death of Rachel, the wife of Jacob.
Read More »Shabbat Nugget: The Ladder Between Heaven and Earth
In this week's Torah portion, we read how Jacob is running away from his brother Esau who wants to kill him for stealing the firstborn blessings from Isaac.
Read More »Mating Rituals – Parshat Vayeitzei
Any great lover of the Torah must eventually confront the simple truth that certain parts of this book are just not that interesting.
Read More »Shabbat Nugget: Still Not Retired At the Age of 99?!
In this week's Torah portion, we read how G-d comes to pay Avraham a wellness visit after his circumcision at the age of 99.
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