On the Jewish liturgical calendar, we are reading our way through the Book of Exodus.

There are many styles of leadership illustrated in Exodus. We see examples of power and might with Pharaoh and God. Pharaoh, whose heart was hardened, thought he knew just what to do and wouldn’t listen to his advisors. He tried to trump one set of magic acts over another and used his power to oppress. Moses, filled with righteous indignation over how the Israelites were treated, was a reluctant leader. First, he ran away, then questioned whether he could be a leader, and took his brother, Aaron, with him. Aaron was a great communicator, putting into words what Moses was trying to say. Moses negotiates with Pharaoh, and then, later, with God, to rescue his people. Continue reading →

They say that you should not discuss religion and politics in polite company. As a rabbi, I spend a lot of time breaking that rule, and I will again today. Today our nation pauses to honor our veterans on this the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of the year. It is important to remember the sacrifices that they have made for us as Americans. We need to be grateful to them for being willing to put their lives on the line, for giving up time with their families, the milestone occasions and the little moments of day-to-day family life. Too many of our soldiers have paid the ultimate price, with their lives. Others have returned from the fronts with life long disabilities—physical and mental and are haunted by what they needed to do. We need to do more to support our returning veterans and their families. Continue reading →

Ashamnu, Bagadnu, gazalnu, dabarnu dophi …..

We beat our chests as we repeat this list of sins in our liturgy over and over again during Yom Kippur. It is an alef-bet listing of sins, said in the plural form, of things we might have done wrong. The rabbis felt that by reading the list collectively that no one would be embarrassed. By limited it to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alef-bet, the list would not go on and on. Still, there are years I want to rail against this. I am not that bad. Continue reading →

The back to school ads made me smile. I particularly like the ad that uses the sound clip from Free to Be You and Me, which I remember fondly from my youth. The song suggests that every person is valued for being who they are and that they can succeed as individuals. Even better is the one that uses the countdown to New Year’s and then kids excitedly run into the school building ready for the new academic year. These are much better than the ad a few years ago that used the Christmas song, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” with parents gleefully shopping for school supplies and the kids dragging behind the cart. Continue reading →

I walked along the Merrimack on the trail behind my condo in Chelmsford. Everything was green, despite a dry, hot summer. The water level was higher than I expected. I’ve been thinking a lot about water this summer. Partly because of the oil spill in the Gulf and partly because I work at a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath and partly, well, because I am just drawn to water. It’s a good season for it—give me a walk along the river, a swim in Freeman Lake or a trip to an ocean beach, and count me in! Water can calm, inspire, nurture and heal. It can help us feel close to the Divine as we discover its beauty, its vastness, its power and its majesty. It is both timeless and ever-changing. Understanding this, the rabbis placed a prayer about the beauty of creation right after the call to worship. Frankly, however, especially in the summer I would rather be outdoors by the water then sitting in a synagogue praying about it. Continue reading →

“This is the day that the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I stand before you today with a full heart. One that is overflowing with joy, and tinged with sadness since my grandmother passed away one week ago today. She called to tell me she wasn’t coming to ordination, that she and my mother were proud of me and that I would make a great rabbi. More importantly, her outlook on life was always one of joy—even in the face of disappointment. Continue reading →

Margaret Frisch Klein, wrote this wrote this Divrei Torah on Passover, which the Academy for Jewish Religion published online, on the anniversary of her Bat Mitzvah and in celebration of her upcoming ordination at The Academy for Jewish Religion.

Psalm 81 is not what I would describe as a usual text to explore the meaning of gratitude, of being thankful. While it is part of the traditional liturgy, the matba’eh as the Psalm for Thursday; it doesn’t use any of those words like, give thanks. However, for me, it illustrates the Psalmist’s sense of thanksgiving and the awareness of the Divine Presence in a very powerful and personal way. Warning. This sermon contains violence. For some of you, this may be a difficult or uncomfortable dvar tefilah to hear. Continue reading →

What does this parsha, that we read every Rosh Hodesh have to do with us moderns? We who think that sacrifice today would be unpalatable—messy, dirty, noisy, smelly, not ecological? Dr. Nehemia Polen, in teaching Leviticus makes the point that what the Israelites were doing with their sacrifices was trying to recreate the pinnacle experience, pun intended, of Sinai. They were pushing the reset button. Remember at Sinai the mountain smoked, it quaked, there was fire and a pleasing odor. In the Israelites fear and trembling, they were privileged to experience the Divine. How many of us have stood on a mountain top, or watched the power of the sea and experienced the Divine and wanted to bottle that feeling, and bring it back with us into our every day lives. It isn’t easy. So this portion comes along to teach us something of how to do it. How to experience the Divine in our everyday lives. Continue reading →