What is THAT doing on my seder plate??

This year, I’ve found myself obsessing over the Passover Seder plate. I don’t usually do that, I promise! I like it, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t dwell on it all that much. But this year, I have been reading a fair amount of sources on new symbols that can be added to (or...
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Who are YOU in the Passover story?

“…And you shall explain to your son on that day, “It is because of what Adonai did for me when I went free from Egypt…” (Exodus 13:8). From the midst of the original Exodus narrative, the text jumps suddenly forward in time, imagining you and me, future generations, retelling this sacred story in a very...
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The Myth of Jewish Unity

We American Jews are a divided people living in a divided nation. The natural and common response to such division is a call for unity. While unity in theory is a noble aspiration, the call for unity among a group of people often reflects a dangerous and anti-Jewish desire to erase or ignore differences. The...
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Lift Up Your Lulav And Yourself

This past summer, my family moved out of our cramped New York apartment and into a beautiful new home in western Massachusetts. The people are wonderful, there are farmstands selling local fruits and veggies everywhere, and there are lots of hiking trails minutes from our front door. But if you’ve ever moved to a new...
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A Meditation on Voting

Download and print out this prayer, in both Hebrew and English. It may be used by individuals or in a communal setting during election season or on Election Day itself. If Version 1 prints badly for you, try Version 2, which has a plainer layout. Or simply read the English text below: A Meditation on...
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The House Is Still On Fire

The Torah this week introduces us to Abraham and Sarah, our soon-to-be parents of monotheism. Each year, I find the call from God familiar, yet still chilling: ‘lech l’cha,’ get up and leave your place of familiarity and comfort to journey to this new place, one that you don’t know, but which will help to...
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True Shalom for Planet Earth

“‘Shalom! Shalom!’ (They say.) But there is no Shalom.” (Jeremiah 6:14) The prophet Jeremiah lambasted the leaders of Jerusalem for declaring that everything was well and for making light of the very real dangers he perceived. Of course, they didn’t listen. The role of prophet seems designed for frustration. A prophet (1) calls out foreseeable disaster;...
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“What Is That In Your Hand?”

Alone in the desert, a comfortable Moses is shepherding his flock when he is captivated by flames burning in the distance. Approaching with caution, the Torah tells us that Moses simply cannot turn away from the burning bush. As he moves closer and closer, God calls out to him, and he responds with a single...
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