One of the many important national conversations taking place these days involves recognition and awareness of privilege. To some people, privilege is a negative thing and something to be ashamed of. I don’t see it that way at all. Privilege is not a dirty word. To be clear, it is critical to be aware ofRead More...

Usually, when I get a call before speaking at a Chuppah, it is to remind me what to say, whom to acknowledge and remember, the qualities of the chassan and kallah to recognize.  This week, I got a phone call requesting what to not say at an upcoming wedding. “Rabbi,” the kallah said respectfully, “pleaseRead More...

I have not slept well during the last three months.  Don’t get me wrong, I fall right asleep, but I don’t wake up well-rested.  There is a pit in my stomach that won’t seem to go away.  Baruch Hashem, my family is healthy and well.  I feel truly blessed in so many ways and IRead More...

To my dear, precious, and sacred Synagogue: For the last ten weeks I have missed you so. I have longed to be together with our shared friends, united in prayer in your sanctuary, joined in learning in your Beis Medrash, celebrating beautiful simchas in your social hall.  I have yearned to bring our children toRead More...

Someone in my Shul growing up loved to say, “I don’t repeat lashon hara… so listen carefully the first time.”  While witty, the quip also reflects our tension between simultaneously feeling uncomfortable gossiping and yet also feeling the insatiable appetite to share when we have something juicy. Our two parshiyos, Tazria and Metzora, describe theRead More...

A few days ago, my young son was lying on the couch in the middle of the day.  My wife asked him what was wrong, and he said he didn’t feel well.  She asked, “What’s the matter?” and he said, “I think I have kavanavirus”.  Baruch Hashem, he is totally fine, but maybe he isRead More...

In business and on social media, “going viral” is an aspiration and measure of success, but when it comes to a threat to our health and wellbeing, going viral can bring lethal consequences. The coronavirus is spreading in China, the Middle East, Europe and has infected people in the United States, Latin America and aRead More...

Just when you thought our society could not get more morally depraved, on January 12th, the annual No Pants Subway Ride took place in cities across twenty-five countries around the world.  This outrageous “tradition” began in 2001 and was introduced by the group “Improv Everywhere,” who thought it would be funny and entertaining for peopleRead More...

On the one hand, he sent his children to chareidi schools.  On the other, he has proudly taught in progressive women’s institutions.  He was educated in the right-wing world, but he profoundly values the miracle of the modern state of Israel.  When asked what world he belongs in, how does he see himself, one ofRead More...

Guest Post by Rebbetzin Yocheved Goldberg Recently, when I mentioned to someone that I was attending this year’s annual Rebbetzin Conference hosted by Yeshiva University, she mockingly asked, “What do you do there, exchange potato kugel recipes?” Historically, a Rebbetzin had no particular role and there were no real expectations of her.  She gained herRead More...

*This article appeared on www.Aish.com on September 2, 2019 What if you knew when you were going to die? A group of researches in Germany collected blood samples from 44,168 people with ages ranging from 18 to 109 years old. Over the next 17 years, 5,512 people from that group died. After looking at 226Read More...

This Sermon was delivered at Boca Raton Synagogue on Shabbos, March 16, 2019 Last time I checked, Tel Aviv is not disputed territory in anyone’s book.  It isn’t a “settlement,” “occupied” or an “obstacle to peace.”  When rockets are launched at Tel Aviv, whether someone pushed the button on purpose or by accident, they areRead More...

The ultimate measure of a leader is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he or she stands in times of challenge and controversy, when decisions bring about uncomfortable consequences. In a recent post titled “Vaccines and Jewish Leadership Hypocrisy,” a colleague and friend of ours challenges aRead More...

Adapted from a Sermon delivered at Boca Raton Synagogue January 19, 2019 – Shabbos Parshas Beshalach Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we will mark this Monday, spoke powerfully about the danger and potential damage of silence.  He once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”  OnRead More...

This weekend, our community lost an incredible woman, a young mother, extraordinary teacher and tremendous example, Dannie Grajower z”l. On the way back from her funeral in NY, I sent this letter to our BRS community reflecting on her loss and the horrific tragedy in Pittsburgh that is on all of our minds. _________________________ DearRead More...

Do you feel strongly about Israel’s safety, security and the US-Israel relationship? Do you have concerns about the environment, gun control, or the justice system? Do you have opinions about how the tax code impacts the economy and your personal finances? Has the cost of tuition for Jewish day school impacted you or your familyRead More...

With school out, the period of the year designated for formal education has come to a close.  Nevertheless, for many children, summer presents different types of education, many of them negative or dangerous.  While parents find relief in not having to supervise studying, prepare for tests or make lunches, in some ways more supervision isRead More...

Time Magazine’s 2017 Person of the Year was “the silence breakers, the voices that launched a movement.”  That movement, well known by its hashtag, #metoo, continues to hold accountable violators of abuse and exploitation.  The movement is several months old and shows no signs of slowing. Just last week, a South Korean politician once consideredRead More...

“I hear it said of somebody that he is leading a double life.  I think to myself: Just two?” Leon Wiesltier (Against Identity) The last few months have seen a cascade of revelations of gross misconduct among accomplished men who overnight went from objects of admiration to targets of derision.  There is a growing listRead More...

Last week, we hosted an event on the growing drug issue in the Jewish community.  A few hours before the event, a young man I know, or thought I knew well, sent the letter below to me.  He asked that I share it with the hope his story can help others and I began theRead More...

This week, our community joined too many others who have confronted the impossible task of saying goodbye to a young person stolen from this world, robbed from us by the dreaded illness of addiction.  In her 23 years on earth, Miriam made an indelible impression on so many who already miss her terribly.  While weRead More...

In his book “Other People’s Money and How Bankers Use It,” Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote, “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Shining a spotlight on an issue can expose and reveal corruption, dishonesty, fraud or abuse that otherwiseRead More...

Just when you thought our society could not get more morally depraved and immodest, two recent events have set the bar even lower.  On January 8th, the 16th annual No Pants Subway Ride took place in sixty cities across twenty-five countries around the world including, sadly, our holy city of Yerushalayim.  This outrageous “tradition” beganRead More...

It is no secret that the incoming president of the United States is highly unpopular among significant segments of the country.  At least 60 Democratic members of the House of Representatives, representing over 10 percent of Congress, do not plan to attend the inauguration.  I personally disagree with their intended actions, as I disagree withRead More...

After what feels like forever, thank God it is finally here.  November 8 could not come any sooner.  This election has created an incredibly divisive atmosphere filled with vitriol, rhetoric, and people on both sides having a general disbelief that anyone could possibly tolerate, let alone support, the “other” candidate.  Our mailboxes, inboxes, televisions, andRead More...

Despite what you may have been told as a child, sharing is not always caring. We are living in a transparent generation where the trend is towards sharing in the extreme. Over coffee with friends, at the water cooler with co-workers, and increasingly on social media, people are revealing more and more about their personalRead More...

I have a confession to make – I bought a lottery ticket for the Power Ball. After all, you’ve got to be in it to win it and this Wednesday night, winning it means winning $1.3 billion. True, the lump sum payout comes to only $806,000,000 but I think we can find a way toRead More...

Change is inevitable. Attitudes and social norms are constantly changing, as are career opportunities and artistic tastes. Perhaps the most perceptible arena of constant change is in the evolution of technology. Through the millennia, enormous advancements in science have revolutionized fields ranging from medicine to warfare, and innovative technological discoveries have dramatically altered normative modesRead More...

The Fall 2015 issue of Klal Perspectives addresses Technology and the 21st Century Orthodox Community. The following is my article in the journal. There is no denying that technology has significantly improved our lives. The proliferation and increasing sophistication of appliances, gadgets, electronics, devices and software provide ever-greater convenience, comfort and enjoyment. And technology hasRead More...

When I was a kid, the most difficult and awkward conversation between parents and children was the talk about “the birds and the bees.” Due to the Internet, increasingly graphic pop culture and explicit billboards and ads, today’s children can be considered precocious in this area and likely know a great deal about the topicRead More...

When I was a young rabbi and I first encountered someone with depression, I vividly remember thinking to myself, why can’t he just snap out of it? What does he mean when he says he sleeps most of the day and can’t concentrate on anything? We are all tired and dealing with stress. Just resolveRead More...

A number of years ago, shortly before I was scheduled to travel, I remembered that my passport had expired. When I called to make an appointment for an expedited renewal, the woman offered me a date that I quickly realized coincided with Shavuos.  I told the woman I couldn’t come then because it was aRead More...

In his book first published in 1989, “Doesn’t Anyone Blush Anymore,” Rabbi Manis Friedman bemoans the loss of modesty and decency in society, and describes it as the greatest obstacle to achieving authentic love and intimacy. If twenty-six years ago people failed to blush when exposed to indecency, perhaps today one could best describe ourRead More...

A few summers ago, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding in which I hardly knew anyone present other than the family of the bride.  At the meal, I found myself sitting at a table full of people, most of whom I had never met.  In an attempt to be friendly to the manRead More...

  Super Bowl XLIX will take place this Sunday night and it is anticipated that it will be watched by more than 113 million people who will consume 1.25 billion chicken wings. And yet, the biggest story leading up to the game is not which quarterback is better, who has a better running game, orRead More...

Do you think normalizing relations with Cuba is a good idea or a poor one? Will it support and help the people of Cuba while strengthening America’s interests? Or does negotiating embolden a dictator and endanger the lives of Americans abroad? What is your position on the lack of indictments in the two recent casesRead More...

Comedian George Carlin had a fantastic routine called “Baseball vs. Football.” Baseball is a 19th-century pastoral game. Football is a 20th-century technological struggle. Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park. The baseball park! Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium. Baseball begins inRead More...

A terribly disturbing scandal occurred this week that generated varying reactions.   A number of celebrities who saved highly personal pictures in a storage cloud were hacked and their revealing pictures were leaked online. When the FBI catches those responsible, they could face hundreds of years in prison for the crimes they committed and theRead More...

Like many others, I was terribly upset to learn of the untimely passing of Robin Williams, who took his own life this week after apparently battling psychiatric illness, depression and addiction for many years. The man who made so many others so happy was in fact himself so incredibly sad. There are many lessons toRead More...

Once upon a time, PDA stood for something now obsolete – Personal Digital Assistant. I will never forget my first Palm Pilot together with its cool stylus and what seemed like a miraculous ability to hold over one hundred phone numbers and a To Do list, all on something that could fit in my pocket.Read More...

In his book “Other People’s Money and How Bankers Use It,” Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote, “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Shining a spotlight on an issue can expose and reveal corruption, dishonesty, or fraud that otherwiseRead More...

Last month, the United States Supreme Court heard the case of a rabbi who was suing Delta airlines for revoking his Platinum Elite Status after he complained 24 times in 8 months and negotiated his way to $1,925 in travel credit vouchers, 78,500 extra bonus miles, a travel voucher for his son and $491 inRead More...

When King Solomon, the wisest of all men, said, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than a house of celebration,” he probably didn’t have in mind three funerals in two days.  All three funerals I participated in this week were of special individuals from whom we can learn so much asRead More...

(Adapted from Sermon, Parshas Vayeishev 2013) This week, the most prestigious dictionary in the world, the Oxford Dictionary, released its word of the year.  You see, every year they choose a word that best captures the ethos and culture of that year.   In a sad statement about contemporary society, the guardian of the English language,Read More...

There is no question that it takes great mesirus nefesh, personal sacrifice, to be Jewish.  For too much of Jewish history, our people have been asked to make the ultimate sacrifice – giving up their lives for clinging to their Jewish identity.  In stark contrast, we are privileged and blessed to live in a timeRead More...

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu delivered an impassioned speech to the United Nations and addressed what he describes as nothing short of an existential threat to the State of Israel: Iran.  The same day, the results of a Pew Research Center survey of American Jews were published, revealing nothing short of an existentialRead More...

This time of the year, Rabbis everywhere can be heard lecturing and preaching about teshuva, repentance.  They are likely invoking the famous formula of the Rambam, Maimonides, who instructs us that authentic, genuine self reflection and introspection are made up of three crucial elements:  we must verbally confess the error of our ways, we mustRead More...

Recently, a self-described Orthodox Rabbi wrote what has become a highly controversial article challenging the authorship of the Torah. His radical approach, which shares more in common with the conclusions of academic Biblical criticism than with traditional Rabbinic Judaism, garnered a harsh reaction and prompted a firestorm of articles, posts, and blog entries. Many immediatelyRead More...

When I was a kid, the most difficult and awkward conversation between parents and children was the talk about “the birds and the bees.” Due to the Internet, increasingly graphic pop culture and explicit billboards and ads, today’s children can be considered precocious in this area and likely know a great deal about the topicRead More...

For many, Memorial Day is the official start of summer. For others, it is a day for barbeques and picnics. Some look forward eagerly to Memorial Day for the Indy 500 race, the Memorial Golf Tournament, fantastic shopping sales, or a great parade through their town. Many look forward to Memorial Day, but sadly, fewRead More...

Last week, three harmless looking women were walking around Montoya Circle going door to door. They were not selling Girl Scout cookies or vacuum cleaners. Instead, they were on a mission selling their savior to the unsuspecting family member that happened to answer the door for them. These women were Christian missionaries with Bibles inRead More...

“Let my people go!” This refrain, introduced by Moshe in Egypt when he appealed to Pharaoh to liberate the Jewish people from bondage, has not only been referenced throughout Jewish history, but has been embraced by multiple peoples and cultures around the world in campaigns against injustice. In our time, I can vividly remember chanting,Read More...

The election season is officially underway with the Iowa Caucus just a few weeks away. There are many variables that contribute to the decision making process of how we choose our candidates and indeed how we vote in elections. The candidate’s appearance, eloquence, pedigree, upbringing, and professional and civic accomplishments all play a role inRead More...

Last Saturday night, we hosted our 3rd Community Conversation, a moderated dialogue among members of the BRS community on important issues of the day. This latest event focused on the question of Living Modestly in the 21st Century and included panelists Andrea Zucker, Ari Beim, Penny Pearlman and Leah Rosen. All of us want toRead More...

A colleague of mine in Boca gave a sermon on Rosh Hashana bemoaning the current lack of Jewish affiliation and identity. He wondered out loud, why is it that so many are not showing up in Synagogue, Jewish day schools, Federations or anything Jewish? His question is a disturbing one, but frankly so was hisRead More...