Blog

There is a little known date in the Jewish calendar that most likely is overlooked by many in the Jewish world. The date is the 15th day of the month of Av, known in Hebrew as Tu B’Av, occurring this year on August 2. Why should it be of any concern? It is a day for love. It has been regrettably conflated with St. Valentine’s Day as the Jewish version, although thematically they are...Read more...

I’ve been involved in the High Holy Day services since I was a boy soprano in my synagogue’s choir. Without coming across as arrogant, I’d like to think that at this point in my professional life, I’m somewhat familiar with the liturgy. Yet now is the time that Rabbis and Cantors begin their annual preparations, which in my case includes my davening, offering six sermons, and interesting English readings. There is a Midrash that tells...Read more...

We waited four years and eight months for one word, repeated sixty-three times loudly and clearly: guilty. While this might have created an opportunity for catharsis, sadly this is just the beginning. The past three weeks were incredibly painful for so many of us, and while this week offers a brief respite, the proceedings resume next week. This next phase, called the penalty phase, will be the time where the jury must determine if the crimes...Read more...

What is a friend? The more I thought about it the more challenging I found to be precise, but I will try. To me a friend is someone that you want in your life and that person desires the same. Now for the dictionary. The first definition is: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. That seems to be a rather good definition. Why do I raise it? Because a friend came...Read more...

It was 7:57PM Monday evening, and my wife and I were about to leave the Waiting Room. I said “Let’s wait another few minutes”. One minute later our son-in-law texted that we could come up to room 7.  We knocked on the door and a voice answered “You could come in”. We opened the door, moved aside the curtain, and amidst all of the activity, to our left on a special table being attended to by a nurse was our newly born first...Read more...