August 26, 2022 One of the delights of where I’ve been nestled over the past year, in downtown Montpelier, VT, is the garden out back. It’s a common area, shared with two sets of neighbors, encircled by our houses and other small buildings.  There’s a secret quality to the space, oasis-like; passing by streetwise, from any … READ MORE

August 19, 2022   With Tisha b’Av in the rear-view mirror and the new month of Elul only a week away, we are firmly planted in getting-ready-for-the-High-Holy-Days mode. As I mentioned in my sermon last Shabbat, I have been there for weeks. I was given the honor of being asked … READ MORE

July 1, 2022 As we move into the July 4th holiday weekend, a time when we celebrate the founding of our country, many of us are treading lightly. Over the past couple of weeks, the revelations of Congress’ Jan 6 oversight committee and the overturning of Roe v. Wade by … READ MORE

Dear friends, This past Shabbat, my son Matan, the bar mitzvah, spoke about gratitude. Specifically, he referenced the Ramban’s (Nachmanides’) commentary on verse 11:1, in which the Israelites complain “bitterly before the Lord” and an angry and frustrated God punishes them by sending a fire to ravage the camp. Trying … READ MORE

May 13, 2022 The following is a copy of my sermon from last Shabbat. It addresses the issue of the leaked draft decision of Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn Roe vs. Wade. I had mentioned in my piece last Friday that I would follow up with these remarks. I … READ MORE

May 6, 2022 Dear friends, The inyana d’yoma – the “matter of the day,” is the news that exploded at the beginning of the week about Justice Alito’s draft decision, which, if it maintains the support of four other justices, would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. … READ MORE

In this message: My remarks from our Yom HaShoah commemoration, Wednesday night, April 27th Special Shabbat service this week! Haftarah class presentation!! Yom HaShoah v’haGevurah Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day April 28, 2022 As the war in Europe rages on, as Putin’s forces rampage through the Ukraine, brutalizing civilians, targeting … READ MORE

April 8, 2022 Dear friends, Another week, another terrorist shooting in Israel. An attack in Tel Aviv yesterday claimed two lives and seriously injured four others. Six people escaped with light injuries. Just last week, I wrote about the death and injury toll from March, which included Jewish, Arab, and … READ MORE

Friday, April 1, 2022   The Israeli newspaper, Ha’aretz, lists the terror-toll from the month of March – nine attacks which have claimed eleven lives:   March 2  An East Jerusalem man stabs a 50-year-old civilian at the Hizma checkpoint, moderately wounding him. March 3 An East Jerusalem man stabs … READ MORE

March 24, 2022   Last night, at the first of our two-part discussion on the Israeli television mini-series The New Jew, one of the things we discussed is how American Jews might choose to identify Jewishly. Needless to say, there are a host of ways, but in the liberal Jewish … READ MORE