SB Right – 4 Column
It’s not too late to get ready.
On Thursday morning, together with close to 900 others Rabbis from across denominations, I participated in a pre-Rosh Hashana conference call with the President. As the operator of the call made introductory remarks, I was reminded of a great insight my colleague and good friend, Rabbi Gibber shared with me following last year’s call of […]
If we want to have credibility when we criticize, we must be willing to praise, when warranted.
A very noteworthy incident took place last weekend, though it was significantly overshadowed by the 10th anniversary of 9/11. An angry mob attacked the Israeli embassy in Cairo, breached the security wall, and advanced on six Israeli diplomats with one goal in mind. The Israelis barricaded themselves in a room with only one locked door […]
What do you do?
A few summers ago, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding in which the only people I knew were the family of the bride. At the meal, I found myself sitting at a table of people I had never met. In an attempt to be friendly to the man seated next to me, I […]
Learning is a Lifelong Endeavor and its Mission is Never Complete
Parents have let out a collective sigh of relief. The new academic year has started and, thank God, the kids are back in school. It is amazing that, at the end of the school year, parents are so grateful to have a reprieve from supervising homework, making lunches and driving carpools. By the end of […]
This is going to be the best year ever.
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but I hope it is much more than that. I sat down to write my weekly “From the Rabbis Desk,” but procrastinated for a moment to see what Rabbi Broide wrote about in his outreach column. Low and behold the same thing is on both of our minds and likely on […]
BRS is not just a Shul, it is a community
As we often say, BRS is not just a Shul, it is a community. Our goal is to cultivate a culture in which people don’t feel I am a member of BRS, but rather, I am a member of the BRS community. What is the difference between being a Shul and being a community? […]
There is the loss of our innocence, replaced by feelings of fear and dread?
Two recent horrific tragedies, the murders of Leiby Kletzky and Rabbi Elazar Abuchatzeira, continue to devastate the Jewish community. Many of us are filled with questions, not only about how this could happen to the victims, but about the identity of the perpetrators themselves. It is hard to remember a time in which a so […]
We should be focused on lifting ourselves up instead of knocking ourselves down.
September 29, 2011 by urjnetworkadmin • Rabbi
This week, I received an email from one of the many Jewish organizations who have me on their list. The subject line was the usual Rosh Hashana salutation and well wishes. Indeed, the email began in the familiar fashion – “as the year comes to a close, it is natural for each of us to […]