Rosh Hashanah shofar thoughts
By Rabbi Yerachmiel D. Fried Dear Rabbi Fried, What should I be thinking about when I hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah? It seems like there should be more focus…
Fentanyl: uses, abuses, treatment
By Alan Koenigsberg, M.D. As we approach the High Holidays, health is on my mind even more than usual. As a physician, I work with patients daily on improving their…
Alan Dershowitz helps out with a High Holiday dilemma
By Alan Dershowitz Should I cancel classes? Editor’s note: The Forward has been solving reader dilemmas since 1906 in “A Bintel Brief,” Yiddish for a bundle of letters. This letter…
Accepting the covenant for all time
By Rabbi Jordan ParrParashat Nitzavim-Vayelech You stand this day, all of you, before the LORD your God — your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of…
Where does God fit into our lives?
By Laura Seymour Dear Families, Over the years, I have taught many classes on different topics in Judaism and have had countless conversations with people who have questions and ask…
Blowing the shofar during Elul
By Rabbi Yerachmiel D. Fried Dear Rabbi Fried, I was invited to a bris at an orthodox synagogue this past week and they blew the shofar at the end of…
Safety and prevention
By Alan Koenigsberg, M.D. At our shul, we are extremely fortunate to have a member who takes point on security concerns. Especially as we approach this time of year, with…
Jewish civic leadership
Eliminating physical and invisible barriers By Joshua Yudkin Yesterday, I counted that I walked through 86 doorways: 44 times these doorways were located inside the same office building, 26 times…
Slow down and let blessings catch up
By Rabbi David SternParashat Ki Tavo In his poem “A Man Doesn’t Have Time,” the late great Israeli poet Yehudah Amichai wrote a rebuttal to Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, a retort…
Strive for peace!
By Laura Seymour Dear Families, We are preparing for the New Year just as our children go back to school. August always feels like we are beginning again. The first…