By Rabbi Debra J. Robbins This week the new Hebrew month of Av began (on the evening of July 18) and we make our way toward Tisha B’Av, the ninth…

By Rabbi Dan LewinParashat Mattot-Masei The essential feature of wisdom (chochmah) is expansion and flexibility. It involves broadening one’s vision to perceive the bigger picture. In contrast, at the core…

By Rabbi Adam RoffmanParashat Pinchas Yehudah the accountant changed my life forever by leaving his desk for 30 minutes every afternoon. Confused? So was I. In my 20s, on the…

By Rabbi Michael Tevya CohenParashat Hukkat The Sfat Emet (Rabbi Yehuda Leib Alter of Ger) tells us that the opening words of this week’s parasha, Hukkat (Bamidbar 19-21), “Zot hukkat…

By Rabbi Dan LewinParashat Korach Last week, I wrote an aphorism based on the Jewish esoteric texts and sent it to a friend, who I thought would appreciate it. He…

By Rabbi Michael LewisParashat Shlach “Leadership is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Shlach-Lecha, features one of the great…

By Rabbi Ariel RackovskyParashat Behaalotecha Rosenkranz and Guildenstern, Abbott and Costello, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Simon and Garfunkel, Gilbert and Sullivan, Thelma and Louise and Bert and Ernie. History, art,…

By Rabbi Ari SunshineParashat Naso It is hard to believe that this week our younger child, our daughter Elana, will be graduating from high school. From her days in preschool…

By Rabbi Dan Lewin During the holiday of Shavuot, we commemorate the momentous occasion of receiving the Torah. When reflecting on the accomplishment of any significant event — and even…

By Rabbi Steve FischParashat Bamidbar This week, we begin reading the book “Bamidbar,” translated as “In the wilderness.” How, then, did the book gain its English name of “Numbers”? When…