If you were a literary critic analyzing the evening prayers, you would have to note how often the trope of going to bed and waking up is repeated: Ahavat Olam before Shema, VeAhavta and VeHaya Im-Shmo'a after Shema, Hashkiveinu, and then Barukh Adonai Bayom 'VaLayla on Weekdays or the Shabbat Psalm on Friday night. Wow: for a twelve minute serv ...…

We all know that the Ten Commandments are important, and many of us know that there's some way they're different from other "commandments," but we rarely get to the heart of the matter. In this spontaneous presentation (and hence inferior audio quality), I try to convey exactly what this difference is, and why the Ten Commandments are truly a u ...…

A question to the Rabbi: What is the literal translation of the first three words of the Hebrew Bible? Why so some translations say, "in the beginning, God created..." and some say "In the beginning of God's creating..." and what's the difference? A short piece of Torah study...

As some of my recent podcasts have been lectures, I decided to mix it up by sharing a Torah discussion in which I raise a simple question asked by Mechon Hadar's Dena Weiss: At the Burning Bush, when Moses is too humble or scared to accept his mission, and Moses asks God, "Who am I to go to Pharoah?" why doesn't God say, "You're the one who kil ...…

This is my lecture to the World Affairs Club where they assigned me to present on the Influence of the Abrahamic Religion of Judaism on World Affairs as the first of a three part series on the influence of the Abrahamic religions. While the topic is problematic (how does "religion" cause "history?"), I address the essentials of Judaism, focus e ...…

"And because (Abraham) had a faithfulness in God, He reckoned it to him as righteousness." Few lines in Torah have done more theological mischief than this verse of five Hebrew words in Genesis. Is it really the essense of "Abrahamic faith" that "Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all share?" Or is the latter an imposition on the text to suit per ...…

If you can, download the KABBALAH & AMIDAH PDF and refer to it. It's a three part folio I created that uses color to track Kabbalistically significant parts of the Shabbat Amidah prayers, and shows the progression of God sefirot/attributes/emanations on Shabbat. In this presentation, I look at the Amidah, called "The Prayer" (ha-tefillah) in th ...…

Aren't New Year's Resolutions some kind of recent thing? Well, actually, resolution vows are a central part of the Temple offerings, and are expected to play a major role in your High Holiday prayers and spiritual work leading up to the shofar blast ending Yom Kippur. We know why the Talmud played them down, but maybe we play them down today fo ...…

Chapter 6 of Exodus concludes a long process of distraction by Moses from the revelation and mission given him by God in chapter 3. It concludes with his infamous "speech impediment." Is this really a speech impediment as taught in Sunday schools by fundamentalists? Or do we need to say such things because it reflects a deep aspect of ourselves ...…

With the long process of avoiding his speaking role by Moses now concluded, God tells Moses that when he speaks, he will be "God" to Pharaoh. Drawing on a teaching I learned from the great Conserative rabbi Rabbi Brad Artson. this single line may contain the most concise expression of religious ethics ever. We can go from avoiding our voice to ...…

Like other Torah topics including sacrifice, slavery, and creation, Leviticus's preoccupation with skin disorders offends many, prompting outrage and elaborate comparisons to historical examples of horror and immorality. And like those earlier topics, it's as if people aren't reading the Torah, but are projecting their own sensitivities -- an i ...…

Using David Brooks' essay on the importance of the Exodus story to the moral clarity of America's purpose, I address what the seder is really about. Once the satire of the opening is out of the way, it's all "Maggid" from there: the "oral telling of OUR story" in order to make us Jews, in order to tell us what our purpose is. Freedom without pu ...…

In this sermon, I analyze the opening of the seder (and conclude with a short tribute to a close friend, Holocaust survivor and Woman of Valor Rae Harvey.) Reclining at dinner, drinking wine, and getting to eat karpas , a Greco-Roman appetizer, is freedom? Seriously? The first part of the seder is a wicked satire that mocks the fool's answer to ...…

The first, basic step of Kabbalistic enlightenment --the one Moshe took approaching the Burning Bush-- is that the meaning of God's name reveals God's true essence: "Becoming." But how can the "nexus of being and nothingness" be the true reality we live in, have faith in, perceive, and live by? How can the solid ("amen") be found in the changin ...…

At bedtime recently, my six year old daughter asked me, "Daddy, who are our ancestors?" It was not one of those profound-sounding questions that really isn't: rather, it was a thoughtful and sincere query after watching a show about a Latina girl learning about her ancestors. "Who are ours?" she needed to know. In this Tu B'Shvat presentation, ...…

While we can always make mistakes reading into the Torah something in the current news, and vice versa, we also cannot shy away from the invitation of profound synchronicities, like the fact that we in synagogue read about the "new king" being inaugurated as the women protest, as something very similar (with a million women) is happening outsid ...…

We think of the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt as "the enslavement," but didn't the Egyptians own slaves prior to that (albeit of a different kind)? I look at a Rashi which places the "enslavement" (or en-serf-ment --same word in Hebrew) of the Egyptians by Joseph as the middle step in two enslavements, first Egypt's everyday slavery -- ...…

After killing the Egyptian, witnessing Hebrew on Hebrew injustice, and fleeing Egypt for an under-the-radar life of a shepherd-for-hire, Moses confronts the third of his three searing experiences of injustice: the bullying of Midianite shepherd girls by the boys. "And he rises to their defense." What is the significance of this third archetypal ...…

(Something to think about before Hanukkah's gift exchange...] I read Abraham's penchant for gift giving and hospitality --and his contrasting refusal to accept a discount from the Hebron locals for the prime burial cave-- through the lens of French-Jewish sociologist Marcel Mauss's book The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Soci ...…

[Posted in honor of Thanksgiving] We all say we should value gratitude more and express it, but does saying words of gratitude really mean you're grateful? Of course not! So how do we actually practice gratitude, which is a form of mindfulness? How is this mental state incompatible with a life tethered to electronics? I explore these themes dra ...…

Our Torah Class on Exodus chapter 2. Why so many ambiguities in Moses' origin? Who are his parents? Why he is raised by all women, but all the movies just focus on his relationships with men that are not found in the Torah? What does his name mean? Is Freud right that he's an Egyptian? How does his biography turn upside down the ancient-hero-or ...…

In a time when so many of us are under pressure -- working night and day, taking care of the generation under us and the generation above us, watching our debts rise and the prospects of our children fade-- of course the solutions offered by those eager to capitalize on our anxiety is to call for a return to some Golden Age where those ones sup ...…

It's hard as a Jew not to be surprised, yet again, that we are building a sukkah mere hours following the intense period of introspection, prayer, self-examination, repair of relationships, internal inventories, repentance, forgiveness, and new year's resolutions that run from the beginning of the month of Elul all the way through Rosh Hashanah ...…

Don't blink or you'll miss it: two simple verses that help begin the Book of Exodus tell a story as ancient as our people and as recent as the nightly news tonight. What do Trump and Putin have in common with the "new king" who "arose over Egypt"? The wheels of history turn but the song remains the same. From Torah Study on October 16th.…

I tease out a teaching that Harold Kushner does using Erikson to focus us on how to use Tefilliah (introspective prayer) to guide us forward onto a path with God (teshuvah) rather than get hung up on the wrong thoughts. Then Sharna sings a gorgeous "Adon Selichot."

The ten days of awe, of Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, characterize a special annual spirituality of healing relationships in one's life [making amends "between human beings"] culminating in a 25 hour introspective period [making amends "between the individual and God"] of intense prayer on Yom Kippur whereby we face God collectively as a fl ...…

In this extended class, I discuss the origins of Biblical prophesy, historically and contextually, and we ask ourselves about the very nature of Revelation. Was it dictation from the sky? Was it ancient aliens? Was it hallucination? Why were light beams shooting out of Moses' head? And I also mention the relevance of the Carl Sagan book (and be ...…

While Judaism may not have much doctrine, one statement that operates doctrinally is the Rabbinic statement that prophecy ended after the Biblical prophets. Since then, we have the Jewish legal system producing "halakhah" (laws) to guide us instead of revelation producing halakhah. Legalism replacing inspired revelation? How is that supposed to ...…

Do Jews believe that Adam (and Eve's) "sin" in the Garden of Eden constitutes "Original Sin" and their punishment the "Fall of Man?" In this 45 minute presentation, I cover some vital Jewish concepts. First, I clarify one of the great confusions that results in "lost in English translation" in all of Bible studies. This confusion is that the He ...…

The entire month of Elul is a time of daily preparation for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. In this brief podcast, we look at how we can begin spiritual preparation for Yom Kippur, which begins with "Kol Nidrei," which means "All Vows" -- vows that are absolved by the Heavenly Court. What are these vows? Is it something ancient? What does this ha ...…

In Parashat Eikev in Deuteronomy, we find some new tones and nuances in Moses' explications of the covenantal love that will be necessary to build a nation and a society in the Promised Land. (In fact, the very word "love" --ahavah-- appears a lot here in Deuteronomy, e.g. that we must not only not oppress the stranger --as stated previously in ...…

Two massive surprises are revealed by Moses to begin Deuteronomy. The backstory to the great sin and punishment of the Israelites in Numbers is revealed, totally shifting our understanding of it. Then, to top things off, Moses nonchalantly disobeys God's direct order! What is going on? With the help of Nehama Leibowitz, Rashi, and Midrash Tanch ...…

(Forgive the audio: I was not wearing my microphone during this sermon.) Is it alright to claim to be African-American, Native-American, or a Jew just because you identify with it? Is identity a matter of personal choice, or is it wrong to claim a history and inheritance --especially one that involves severe persecution-- that isn't yours? Toda ...…

Another short teaching on the fascinating Aramaic prayer "Bei Ana Racheitz" that we sing after opening the ark. Its reference to Christianity will surprise you!

The Shabbat Service contains a series of mostly silent prayers --leading up to the Shema -- in which we are asked to listen to the songs in Nature as a reality, not as a metaphor. One of these beautiful paragraphs states, "If only our mouths were filled with song like the sea..." preparing us to fill our mouths with the Shema. Have you heard th ...…

Listen as I teach a student about the real meaning of the famous cliche that "Prayer Replaces Sacrifice." What are the thematic and social connections between the two? How do we actually learn the silences needed to make the words real? What is the connection between Being in the Present Moment and Constructing our World with words?…

What does an obscure Talmudic debate about freeing slaves have to do with the gay pride parade? Find out in this short teaching, concluding with Cantor Sara singing Steven Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns."

Along with an impromptu Ofra Haza song from Shir ha-Shirim by Sharna, I explain why we read the erotic love poetry of the Song of Songs to conclude Pesach in this introduction to Yizkor. (In my remarks, I connect the Kabbalistic sefirah of "hod" (splendor) with the Hebrew words "hoda'ah" (acknowledgement) and "todah" (thanks) and therefore rela ...…

The origin of taking out ten or sixteen drops of wine from our cups at the Seder while reciting the 10 Plagues has a fascinating origin. Is it worth recovering? I think so, and I connect it to the support for both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders across the electorate today, as well as connect it to the custom of chanting Aleinu at the end of ev ...…

Want a thought to generate discussion and personal reflection at the Seder? There aren't four questions in the Haggadah. There is only question, just as the Talmud insists. There are four answers. Two are serious. Two are satire. Do you know the difference? If you do, you know what Freedom is.

My lecture recorded at Palomar College to future teachers and social workers. What should a non-Jew understand about Judaism, its history and sensitivities, its overall character, and how Jews see themselves? THERE IS A COMPANION TEXT FOR THIS LECTURE which has the main points written out. It is listed as a "page" you can view in the margin.…

According to the Talmud, during the Rosh Hashanah service, the Heavenly Court is meeting, Satan is the prosecuting attorney, God the merciful judge is presiding, and the shofar blast interrupts Satan. Is this happening in the sky somewhere, or as the Sages intended, IS IT HAPPENING INSIDE OF YOU?

In this parashah, we have the basis for metaphor of marriage to understand our covenant. The covenant of marriage is about participating in a marriage, not saying you bought a house and provided material things and then your job is done. In the parashah, God interrupts the instructions for building the sanctuary and emphasizes the use of the sa ...…

There are a handful of foundational Jewish principles that are still in the process of changing the world and the very way we think. Some are more familiar, such as universal human rights (tselem elohim extends beyond gender, citizenship, caste, financial status, race, even species). One of the less familiar is the highly abstract, revolutionar ...…

In order to finish the story of Judah and Tamar, we examine the big issue of the role of karma (or "measure for measure" or "poetic justice") in our lives, and whether this means God is sending us a message since we are God's conern, or rather we're learning how to live in God's story. How do we walk the line between Godless naturalism and narc ...…