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L'Shanah Tovah!

Welcome to my blog! I hope to use this blog for a variety of reasons: to share periodic thoughts and reflections, to respond to questions posed to me by members of Adas Israel Congregation and others, and to post sermons and other writings and articles.

Most importantly, I would like to use this blog as a tool for helping my congregation and others to explore the beauty of what is True (hence the title: "Dover Emet: Speaking the Truth"), and to find new ways into acts of Chesed (lovingkindness) and Tzedek (righteousness).

We live in an era where Judaism must evolve together with the Jewish community. I very much hope that this blog will be a useful forum for us to explore together what an evolving Jewish expression could be, and what that means to us.

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Teach your tongue to say ‘I don’t know.’ (Talmud Bavli, Berachot 4a)

This is one of my favorite teachings in the Talmud.   Our human nature never seems to change:   we hate to admit that we don’t know, that we’re not sure.   Some of us would rather lie to others and even to ourselves than admit that we don’t know something.   It’s as if there’s some deep-seated fear within us that being wrong is a terrible thing. I love not knowing!   When people come up to me and ask me a question about Judaism—or anything-- I’m happy to admit when I don’t know the answer.    I’m grateful.   That person has given me an opportunity to look something up and to learn.   I even love it when I say something incorrect or confused, and someone points out to me that I was wrong.   That’s the best of all!   I am delighted when life shows me that I was wrong.   How else can I find the Truth?   How else can I be ultimately right? There are those who believe that knowledge is power, and they’re right.   But the greatest knowledge, the greatest power of all is resting comforta
“We have Nothing to Fear”:  My speech on the future of Conservative Judaism at the USCJ Convention in Atlanta

Are Jews White?

This summer, I had a conversation with a young woman about her Jewish identity.  She told me how she grew up in a family that was very involved in her synagogue.  She went to Jewish day school.  She had been to Israel multiple times. Despite all this, she felt very far away from her Jewishness.  Now out on her own, she didn't observe Shabbat.  She simply couldn't find the relevance of Judaism as she was making her way out on her own in the world.  I asked her to tell me what she did feel passionate about.  She told me how she has been reading and thinking a lot about racial justice in our society.  What moved her was the Blacklivesmatter movement--how, in light of Ferguson, Charleston, and seemingly endless incidents of injustice against black people in our society, she felt a pressing need to grapple with the racism that is so pervasive in this country and how it affects her identity.  I asked her to explain to me more about her passion for this issue.  She explained: "As