One of the best aphorisms I began using after settling into parenthood was, "the years are short, but the days are long." Like most pithy observations, it contains a significant truth couched in a general sentiment. It also contains a unique truth regarding the narrative of Torah - when one considers the number of years covered between Creation and the…
There is a line in the Quentin Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction, in which Bruce Willis' character, Butch, is asked by a Latina taxi driver what his name means; his response is, "I'm American, honey. Our names don't mean @#$%." This has always made me laugh, because of course every name has a meaning; however, our culture does not place an…
It is surprising to acknowledge that the Torah only specifies one single instance in which Moshe spoke to God. This doesn't sound correct, I know, but it's true! There are a handful of times in which Moshe said something to God, but there is only one moment in which Moshe spoke God. What's the difference, you ask? The Rabbis taught that…
Unequivocally, Miriam deserved better. She's only mentioned by name (when we are introduced to her she is referred to as Moshe's sister) a handful of times, and other than her leading the women in song at the Splitting of the Sea, she only speaks a couple of times. Despite being the only woman in Torah explicitly named as a prophetess,…
Of all the orderings of the Tribes, be it by their mother, by their birth order, by their birthright, and so forth, I am most fascinated by the ordering at the beginning of Parashat Bamidbar when considered in light of Sefer Yetzirah, one of the earliest texts of Jewish mysticism. The Torah says: Hashem spoke to Moshe and to Aharon…
I'll never forget my first day in Asheville. 1997, standing in the parking lot of the French Broad Food Co-op thinking, "I will live here one day." Throughout my years at Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in L.A., I often thought of Asheville and CBI. Danielle and I were married in Montford. Our aufruf (when the groom is called to the Torah) was in the small CBI chapel. To be honest, I never envisioned being a pulpit rabbi - I love community organizing and non-profit management - but if there was one place I would want to be a pulpit rabbi, I knew it would be here. (read more)