August 6, 2021 It seems to me that we’re coming to terms with the “new normal.” When schools, synagogues, and businesses first closed, we thought we were just doing deep…

July 30, 2021 Shalom from URJ Camp Harlam in beautiful Kunkletown, Pennsylvania! I have been involved in some form of Jewish summer camp for almost 40 years; as a camper…

July 9, 2021 Are we there yet? Almost. Forty years have passed since we have left Egypt. The Children of Israel are at the entrance of the Promised Land. This…

July 2, 2021 We recently celebrated Father’s Day and, next week, we will say the special blessing for the coming month of Av, which means, “Father”. So, is it just…

June 25, 2021 This week’s Torah portion, Balak (Numbers 22:2-25:9), presents us with a fantastical story of the talking donkey. Our relationship with animals is strong, but for some, not…

June 18, 2021 I officiated at a wedding about three and a half years ago. Okay, it was actually only about fifteen months ago; but with the Corona Virus, it…

June 11, 2021 After weathering the challenge mounted by Korach in this week’s Torah named after him, Korach (Numbers 16:1-18:32), the tribe of Levi assumes its proper status as the…

June 4, 2021 The story of the spies in this week’s Torah portion, Shelach-L’cha (Numbers 13:1-15:41), ends in a 40-year march through the Wilderness so that the generation of the…

May 28, 2021 2021 has been a heck of a year so far and we are feeling more and more hopeful as people get vaccinated. At the same time, we…

May 21, 2021 This past weekend (which feels like eons ago) I experienced the most incredible spiritual whiplash. We celebrated Shavuot, a holiday dedicated to the giving of Torah, of…

May 14, 2021 According to the Torah, we are just now, with this week’s Torah portion at the beginning of the Book of Numbers, entering Bamidbar/the wilderness (Numbers 1:1 –…