Haaretz Chief Correspondent Shmuel Rosner explores: What killed the campaign for Darfur?He raises some important questions about whether the tendency of “save-Darfur” activities to be suspicious of agressive action let the world off the hook. Rosner writes: Richard Just over at TNR [The New Republic] is doing a masterful job sorting through a long list …
As we sat around the Thanksgiving Dinner Table, taking stock of our blessings, sharing sadness at those who were not with us (either because they were at other Thanksgiving Tables or they had passed on from this life), many of us took comfort in these lean times with a bountiful meal. Our ancient rabbis teach …
I’m bracing now for a flood of new worshipers… JTA reports: Study: Attending services cuts women’s death risk (November 25, 2008) Regular attendance at religious services reduces the risk of death for women by 20 percent, according to a new study. The study by researchers at Yeshiva University and its Albert Einstein College of Medicine …
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It is one of the few holidays that combine three of my favorite things: great food, family and NO responsibilities for me as rabbi. It is also so familiar, so Jewish. Some thought-provoking scholarship suggests that Thanksgiving is actually an interpretation of our Jewish holy day Sukkot, the …
My kid loves the TV show Scrubs. One of Or Ami’s former interns so loved Scrubs that he proposed to his wife on the same bench in Los Angeles where Turk asked Carla to marry him. I enjoy Scrubs too. And I love Israel. So how cool is it when to favorite things come together. …
As we read in the Torah (Toledot, Genesis 25) about Rebecca’s pregnancy problems and the pain it brings to her life, I recall a sermon I gave during one of my first years as a rabbi. Talking about infertility brought forth a whole series of emotions: those who were dealing with it and were pleased …
Wall Street Journal carried an opinion piece entitled, Bush Does the Right Thing for Darfur: A critic praises the president’s stand on war criminals and international law. In it, Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, writes: Human Rights Watch rarely lauds the Bush administration. But when it comes to supporting international efforts to …
One of my favorite bloggers, Ima On (and off) the Bimah, offers this posting for Thanksgiving: A few years ago, our family started to do a Thanksgiving Seder, a retake on the Passover Seder. Much like Passover, this is a holiday whose primary ritual centers on a meal. There isn’t, however, a set liturgy for …
Haaretz is reporting that Eight weeks before Barack Obama is sworn into office, signs have emerged over the weekend that point to what is turning out to be the new administration’s plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We read that: Despite the attention being paid to Clinton, no less important is the move made two …
Choose Life That You Should Live: Recovering Addicts are Our Teachers By Lydia Bloom MedwinFormer Rabbinic/Education Intern (pictured at left)Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, CA “Acquire for yourself a teacher…” This passage from the Mishnah encourages us to seek out those more knowledgeable than ourselves and to become their students. After meeting with four Or Ami …
This week we eulogize our matriarch Sarah. In this week’s Torah portion (Genesis 23:1ff), called Chaye Sarah (the life of Sarah), we read about the death of Sarah at 127 years old. Who was this woman who, as we say at every Jewish wedding, “helped build up the household of Israel”? Who was this partner …
Some years ago, I wrote this ethical will for my children. With a few adjustments, I shared it with the congregation as a High Holy Day sermon. I still stand by these values. As Congregation Or Ami’s New Dimensions (activities for adults only) prepares for a seminar on Writing an Ethical Will (Monday, November 17, …
Our Jewish community is so richly varied, and we sometimes forget that some of the best ideas around can be borrowed from creative people in other parts of our community. I had lunch today with two fantastic rabbis. They were asking so much about Or Ami’s use of the electronic media. It was fascinating. Learn …
Some years ago, I wrote an article for our Divray Or Ami supporting Marriage Equality. In it, I argued that We, the people who recall the words of our sacred Scriptures – You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of a stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt …
Have you seen the movie Religulous by Bill Maher? My colleague Rabbi Sharon Brous of Ikar (a social activist, highly spiritual, conservative-ish synagogue community) responded to Maher’s movie on Kol Nidre. She said: I recently heard Bill Maher speak about his new film, Religulous (a made up word that combines religion and ridiculous), which offers …