Chanukah 5784
12/04/2023 08:53:02 AM
So here’s the question: Is Chanukah a historical commemoration? You know, the paradigm of Jewish holidays: they tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat.
Not according to Rabbi Tzadok of Lublin, one of the 19th century’s most creative and thoughtful Jewish...Read more...
Parshat VaYishlach, 5784 - The Kiss Heard Around the World (or was it a bite?)
11/28/2023 01:16:48 PM
Beyond being the sacred text that molded western civilization and has had the most impact of any work of literature ever, the Bible in and general and the Torah in particular contain what can only be described as incredible storytelling.
Take this week’s parsha. Jacob and Esau,...Read more...
Parshat Toldot/Chodesh Kislev, 5784 Chanukah, 5784: Bringing and Being the Light
11/15/2023 09:55:51 AM
Three of our congregational leaders at the Washington Rally on November 14th
Adath Shalom’s Vice President gave us the theme of this year back at Rosh HaShana when she told us to Be the Light. Now, as we prepare for...Read more...
Chayei Sarah, 5784 Campus Update: One of our College Students Speaks out!
11/07/2023 05:35:28 PM
Sarah Imenu, Sarah Our Mother, whose life is celebrated in this week’s Parsha, exemplifies the authenticity and moral courage that nurtures the Jewish people to this day. It is appropriate to share the words of one of our community’s spiritual successors of Sarah as we continue to be nurtured by her example.
This week’s D’var Tora comes to us from Adath Shalom alumna, Carly, who celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at our shul and...Read more...
Hunkering Down or Heading Out?
11/01/2023 10:42:18 AM
Abraham our Ancestor is not exactly a shrinking violet. When his nephew Lot is kidnapped among others by a large invading force, Abraham does not suffice with prayer. He assembles a small coalition and goes after the invaders. Coming by night upon the overconfident army of the Mesopatamian...Read more...
It is Time to Pay Attention: D’var Torah for Lech L’cha, 5784
10/23/2023 09:14:15 AM
In this week’s Parsha, Lech L’cha, we are introduced to Abraham.
Kind of a weird introduction, actually. “G-d said to Abraham, ‘Go from your country, your birthplace, your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will bless you and magnify your name and through you all the families of the...Read more...
Love for and of Israel
10/17/2023 01:33:42 PM
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Dear Adath Shalom Family;
This week's D'var Torah was written by our member Jon Kessler. Jon asks us to look beyond the darkness and challenges of this moment and to reflect on our own relationship with the land and people of Israel. Whatever your connection, I hope that you...Read more...
Simchat Torah - Judaism Celebrates Change
10/04/2023 09:19:13 AM
If you’ve seen or heard about Simchat Torah celebrations in New York, Moscow, Boston, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, London, Johannesburg, you know that they are huge, joyful spectacles where we dance our Torahs out into the streets and the joy, music and celebration are explosive and...Read more...
The Sukkah: Enduring in Its Impermanence Sukkot 5784
09/27/2023 08:58:03 AM
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Sitting out in the Sukkah on a crisp fall evening is the mother of all immersive experiences.
You feel somehow secure and enclosed in the flimsy walls and patchy roof but at the same time, the fragility of the shelter makes you acutely aware of the outside darkness and the...Read more...
Yom Kippur, 5784
09/19/2023 08:44:19 AM
Every year we are asked to run a spiritual marathon - 25 hours of prayer, reflection, repentance and… fasting!
I hear stories of our ancestors in the old country making it a literal marathon where they are in shul for the entire time, everyone dressed in white robes,...Read more...
The Meaning of Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, the Renewal of the World
09/11/2023 03:02:57 PM
Rosh HaShana is just another day, right? It’s not an equinox or a solstice. It has no astronomical significance. No eclipse, no magnetic flux, no bells and whistles. It’s not even the first month of the year - it’s the seventh. It’s not even the anniversary of the...Read more...
When Do We Do the Inner Work?
09/03/2023 10:21:33 PM
D’var Torah for Selichot Services, 5783/2023
Selichot services take place on Saturday night and we hear again the plaintive...Read more...
The Shofar Ten - Part II - Rabbi Saadya Gaon’s Final Five Reasons for Sounding the Shofar
08/30/2023 06:49:33 AM
The sound of the Shofar is powerful, evocative, moving - but why exactly? To try to explain, Rabbi Saadya Gaon, Rosh Yeshiva of the Harvard of Yeshivas, Sura back in tenth century Babylonia, near modern day Baghdad assigned not one but ten Jewish historical moments that the Shofar...Read more...
The Shofar Ten - Part One
08/21/2023 12:34:54 PM
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The plaintive cry of the Shofar is a highlight of Rosh HaShana but what exactly does it mean?
Tenth Century whiz-kid Rabbi (he was appointed head of the largest Yeshiva in Babylonia at only 36 years old) Saadia Gaon gives us ten spiritual associations that the Shofar...Read more...
Rosh Chodesh Elul: Sound the Shofar! Eight Things to Know about Elul
08/14/2023 09:18:44 AM
The Jewish month that begins on Thursday and Friday is the last month of the year - Elul. The Shofar is sounded each day of Elul (including Rosh Chodesh and aside from the last day of the month) to awaken our souls to Teshuva (repentance),...Read more...
Parshat Re’eh: I have set before you a blessing and a curse… The Summer of 2023: Seeking blessing, facing challenges
08/08/2023 08:41:54 AM
This week’s parsha declares that in every circumstance, we have the opportunity to wrest blessings from challenges.
In a difficult summer that saw the highest recorded temperatures in history, filled our skies with smoke and challenged us with the anxieties of uncertain times,...Read more...
Parshat VaEtchanan- Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Consolation
07/24/2023 09:28:01 AM
The Unanswered Prayer
At that time, I begged G-d…let me please cross over and see the good land across the Jordan, the goodly highlands and the mountains of Israel! (Deuteronomy 3:25)
Moses has dedicated his entire...Read more...
The White Fast and the Black Fast... and Why-
07/18/2023 03:51:49 PM
Listen to Rabbi Rudin - Click HERE
There are Two 24 hour Fast Days in Judaism: the White Fast of Yom Kippur and the Black Fast of Tisha B’Av.
Many people fast during...Read more...
Mattot-Masei: These are the Journeys of the Children of Israel…
07/11/2023 01:49:49 PM
The Torah’s account of the forty-two encampments of our ancient travels through the wilderness on their way to Israel contains a message. Miraculous wells of pure water that spring from the rocks, enemies that dog our steps but who fall before our faith,...Read more...
The Season of Sorrow: Tisha B'Av and the Three Weeks
07/04/2023 10:44:05 AM
Know for certainty that every descent we experience in life is only for the sake of rising up even higher
-Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav
On the Ninth of Av, the Temple was destroyed and the Jewish people...Read more...
All of Us Means All of Us D'var Torah for Parshat Chukkat-Balak
06/27/2023 10:21:19 PM
This interpretation of the Torah narrative is inspired by Rabbinic teachings called Midrash.
In this week’s Torah portion, those who hate and fear us, in this case, his majesty, Balak ben Tzippur, King of Moab and his allies, hire a major league sorcerer (in modern terms, we’d call him an ‘influencer’), Balaam, to curse us.
I know that those you curse are cursed, says...Read more...
The End of Strife Parshat Korach, 5783Book of Numbers, 16-18
06/21/2023 11:37:57 AM
This week’s Parsha, Korach, describes a terrible schism in the Jewish people. The once righteous but ultimately mistaken and sinful Korach, who has been passed over for priestly leadership in favor of his cousin, Aaron, gathers a large group and attacks Moses...Read more...
The Five Minute Rabbi Part Two
06/13/2023 08:50:51 AM
Don’t Read- Listen!
Right Here
This is part II of a mini-podcast series on the laws of Shabbat observance in...Read more...
A Darkness that Can Be Felt - Interfaith Dialogue in the Haze
06/07/2023 01:43:02 PM
Once a month I take part in an interfaith conversation with a group of Christians, Hindus and Muslims. Over the time that our Interfaith Council has met, we have learned to trust each other and become friends. Our discussions are open-hearted. Despite...Read more...
The Five Minute Rabbi
05/31/2023 09:29:47 AM
Don’t read this- listen to it right here!
The Torah says (Exodus, parshat Mishpatim): Six Days you shall labor and perform all of your...Read more...
Shavuot: Seven Weeks to Freedom
05/23/2023 03:11:31 PM
What is Shavuot? Well, seven weeks ago we celebrated the anniversary of the Exodus. Freedom from slavery and the horrors of Pharaoh’s Egypt. ...Read more...
In the Desert: Again. Parshat BaMidbar
05/14/2023 07:02:22 PM
In Numbers, the fourth book of the Torah, we join the Jewish people on their journey through the howling wilderness on our way to the Promised Land. We encounter moments of joy and challenges of rebellion and disaster. But through it all, though long...Read more...
The Secret of Jewish Observance
05/08/2023 10:52:09 PM
Contemplating the Conclusion of the Jewish Year, 5783
Looking at Jewish spiritual life, it’s really astonishing just how much stuff we do. I mean look at it: We start the year by blowing loud blasts on Ram’s...Read more...
Lag B’Omer! The Holiday of Hiddenness
05/03/2023 05:33:17 AM
No texts, no prayers, no services…. And no real name! Lag B’Omer actually means “thirty three days of the Omer Count”!
So what gives?
Read more...
The Five Minute Rabbi: What to Know about...Counting the Omer!
05/02/2023 05:36:38 PM
See/hear this week's message on the go:
Read more...
Israel: It’s Not Complicated
04/25/2023 01:26:23 PM
It is very rare to see positive coverage of Israel in the world press. There are too many examples and too much explanation is required to expose how profound the distortion is for this short message. But as one who has been to Israel thirty times (at...Read more...
Take the Clean Speech Challenge - Together with Jewish Organizations and Shuls from all over Jersey!
04/18/2023 08:45:44 AM
Who is the one who desires life, who loves their days and sees good? It is the one who guards their tongue from speaking ill, and their lips from guile, turning aside from hurtfulness, seeking peace and pursuing peace.
-Psalm 34:13-15
Judaism doesn’t...Read more...
Where is our miracle? D’var Torah for the Seventh Day of Pesach
04/10/2023 11:23:14 AM
On the Seventh Day of Pesach which begins Tuesday night, we celebrate the Parting of the Sea of Reeds.
The story goes like this: Pharaoh and Egypt have finally released Israel. We head out, mustering at Ramses and then...Read more...
Lech L'cha: Abraham's Altars-
11/01/2022 05:36:54 PM
Reading this week's Torah portion, we see Abraham called by G-d to "Go forth from your land, from the place of your birth and from your father's house to the Land that I will show you." Abraham's life from that point on seems to be...Read more...
Parshat Noah: Floating on the Seas of Chaos?
10/25/2022 12:19:54 PM
In this week's Torah portion, we retell the primordial tale of the Great Flood, followed by the confusion of tongues in the Tower of Babel.
Question: why was the first thing that the next generation after the flood did was build a...Read more...
All Beginnings are Hard... D'var Torah for Genesis, 5783
10/19/2022 05:18:52 AM
ויאמר אלוהים יהי אור- ויהי אור
And G-d said: Let there by light- and there was light!
As we set out on a new Jewish year, the...Read more...
Being Led: A Story for Sukkot
10/11/2022 07:53:29 PM
Update this content.
Being Led: A Story for Sukkot
This is a story about the great Rabbi, author and community leader Avraham ben Yitzchak Antibi of Aleppo (Syria), 1765-1858. Rabbi Antibi’s great accomplishment was leading the Jewish community of Aleppo through a terrible crisis following a devastating earthquake. This is a lighter hearted story...Read more...
This Sukkah /Self We Build
10/06/2022 03:03:36 PM
The holiday of Sukkot follows Yom Kippur by only a few days. Why do we head out to live in booths right after the yearly ordeal of purification and renewal?
Maybe it’s like this: On the...Read more...
I'm Starvin'! What's Spiritual About That??
09/28/2022 01:14:43 PM
The Voice of the Belly and the Still Small Voice: A Preparation for Yom Kippur
In every book, movie, comic or even spoof about a spiritual quest, the seeker after truth is at first confused by their encounter with the master. I'm dating myself here but one of the most iconic spiritual master/seeker disconnects was when aspiring Jedi Luke Skywalker meets the great Jedi Master...Read more...
The Ten Reasons why we Sound the Shofar: Video Series with Rabbi Rudin!
09/21/2022 01:02:03 PM
Want to make Rosh HaShana a deeper spiritual experience? Let the Shofar Guide You!!
Chapter One: Creating the Sound of Renewal and Return
Chapter Two: Ten Calls...Read more...
Apples and Honey and So Much More! Celebrating Rosh HaShana and Setting an Example
09/13/2022 02:56:39 PM
The Instructions
09/05/2022 07:01:12 PM
All of These Words of this Torah shall be in your heart…
-Deuteronomy 6
Read more... Elul: The King is in the Field
08/23/2022 12:30:58 PM
The image of the High Holidays is that G-d's Presence is more revealed than at any other time. The theology: is G-d immanent (close) or transcendent (distant), can an omnipresent G-d be "more present" at one time or place than any other etc. doesn't really come up. ...Read more...
Parshat Ekev- Check It!
08/15/2022 03:47:44 PM
Parshat Ekev can be called "the Parsha of the Little Things". The so-called minor Mitzvas that we tend to overlook or even ignore. This D'var is dedicated to them... l'chaim to the small things- by which we live.
I see it all the time. ...Read more...
Nachamu:What is Grief? What is Comfort?
08/09/2022 06:08:48 PM
When we grieve, we traditionally tear our garments. Why?
Jacob, Job, King David, the Judeans at the walls facing the...Read more...
Read more... The Three Weeks Begin...
07/18/2022 02:11:49 PM
The Jewish calendar is the photo album of our history, beliefs, doctrines and rituals. Go through the Jewish year and you've pretty much got a picture of what we're all about.
Take the next three weeks for example. These are where we store our most painful...Read more...
A Prayer for the 17th of Tammuz
07/11/2022 12:48:21 PM
For all that we are a people of memory, we don't venerate the past. Instead we live our history through the here and now by remembering and focusing on how ancient lessons can help move us forward.
This Sunday we commemorate the 17th of Tammuz which begins the "Between the Straits", the 3 Weeks leading up to the Black Fast Day, Tisha B'Av. Why do we need to relive the dark days when our Temple was destroyed, we...Read more...
July Fourth and the Seventeenth of Tammuz A Warning from an Ancient People
07/05/2022 11:46:12 PM
Dedicated l’ilui...Read more...
In Tribute: Temple HaTikvah - a Legacy of Welcome
06/27/2022 08:13:09 AM
This week's D'var is dedicated to Temple HaTikvah, the shul that made me, whose farewell gala last night both broke my heart and filled me with new hope and inspiration. The holy sparks created by this amazing community will continue to inspire through the ongoing Jewish connection and community-building of the generations of beautiful Yidden who carry and live the truths of this holy Kehilla. We welcome those families who...Read more...
The Mitzvah of Tzitzit: Fringe Benefits
06/22/2022 10:43:32 AM
Adonai said to Moses: Speak to the Israelite people and tell them to make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, placing within the fringes a cord of royal blue. When you see the fringes, you will remember all of HaShem's Mitzvot to do them and you will...Read more...
Parshat B'Ha'alotecha: Stop Kvetching. No, really.
06/12/2022 04:19:50 PM
Negativity, especially negative language, has literally brought on disaster. In this week's parsha, what begins as an unspecified complaint about the trek to the Promised Land- despite the clouds of glory that shelter the nation- devolves into a ruckus about the heavenly Manna which nourishes the people and tastes...Read more...
The Battles of Summer
06/08/2022 12:51:30 PM
The Jewish holiday cycle has ended with the last morsel of cheesecake on Shavuot. Now, we get to have some fun in the sun... relaxation, recreation...
Yes, but....
Is it just me or is "yes, but" what Yiddishkeit (Judaism) says...Read more...
Read more... Climbing Sinai: Preparing for Shavuot
05/15/2022 05:49:33 PM
Coming in this year on June 4th, the two-day festival (one day in Israel) really wraps it up....or does it?
Shavuot, falling Seven Weeks to the day after Passover, connects Freedom to Freedom.
Freedom in the Passover sense means freedom from. From what? From...Read more...
Lag BaOmer- Up in Flames?
05/09/2022 03:26:43 PM
Since the Middle Ages, the Jewish School Year has concluded with a hike into the woods and bonfires into the night. Lag BaOmer certainly has religious and mystical overtones: it commemorates how Jewish learning went on despite the Roman decree of death to anyone...Read more...
Shalom in the Home- and in Israel! Happy Israel Independence Day!
05/01/2022 09:44:56 PM
I had the great privilege of subbing in our religious school this Sunday and wanted to share how a discussion about Israel became a deeper discussion about family harmony and peace.
The students were asked to plan an itinerary for a trip to Israel; but a trip like no...Read more...
The Omer Challenge: Mission of Transformation!
04/26/2022 12:21:29 PM
The Omer and Self-Improvement go together like thunder and lightning! Each day is another spiritual opportunity for growth. Take a look at the below table and with just one small spiritual challenge each day you'll be amazed!
Omer: Days...Read more...