The first Purim that I tried to fully observe took place in a most exotic location – a Native American reservation in South Dakota. It was very hard to properly keep the holiday, but then this happened.
Having been voted New York’s hippest rabbi (an honor which along with a Metro Card may get me to Midtown) and serving as the rabbi to Brooklyn’s trendsetting Pratt Institute, I find myself in a constant search to remain hip with the ‘kids.’ So when it came to planning this year’s perfect Purim party, I […]
I know I don’t have to and I don’t judge women who don’t. When I was studying in seminary in Israel for the year during college (I took a year off after my freshman year), a girl in class asked my rabbi if baggy snow pants are OK to ski in. He said, “Yes.” (Though, it […]
I used to be simplistic in my religious thinking. I didn’t mean to be, I just didn’t know any better. I had spent so many years of my childhood asking deep questions about the meaning of life, the purpose of existence, and generally searching for Truth that when I finally stumbled upon Torah and mitzvos […]
People often think that resting on Shabbat (Shabbos) means sleeping or exiting less energy, but that’s not what the Jewish definition of “resting” is. It means refraining from creative work. It means emulating the Almighty who created and then paused. Watch this video to learn what can’t you do and why?
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” the foundation of Judaism and the basis of the Golden Rule is not too hard to imagine in a vacuum or even in real life if you’re neighbor’s a nice guy. But what if your neighbor is your political opponent? How could could you possibly love your political […]
