Time to Move Forward

As much as I love the Passover seder, it’s in the few days immediately afterward that I can more easily imagine the chaos of the Exodus from Egypt. Coming back from being with my family, unpacking and wondering what happened to half the things I brought with me, being unable to find anything in the...
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The Pharaohs of Contemporary Politics

Passover is often referred to as a holiday of Freedom and Justice. One of the most common Biblical quotes when referring to the mitzvah of tzeddek/Justice, Freedom, and Passover is found in Dt. 16:20: “Tzeddek tzeddek tirdof. Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” This verse, of course, assumes you know what justice is so you can...
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Sanctuary Cities: No Walk in the Dog Park

Commentary on Parshat Masei (Numbers 33:1 – 36:13) When I take my dog to the dog park, he loves to run from picnic table to picnic table and dive underneath them, seeking shade and safety. The picnic tables are a safe zone, a refuge, a sanctuary. Between 1980 and 1991, nearly one million Central Americans fled...
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Is there comfort after such pain?

People experience the deep pain at different times: when a personal tragedy or loss shakes us to our core. When an eye opening experience shocks us into reassessing reality. When we recognize that truths we held as self-evident were not shared by others. For many, in both political parties, the world fell apart (again) during...
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The Beginnings of Gender Justice (Parshat Ki Tetze)

Commentary on Parshat Ki Tetze (Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19) Laws concerning women’s sexual misconduct are grim testimonies to women’s experiences in cultures where the lion’s share of power and privilege goes to men. But before we can know what to do with these laws, we must clarify what they say and to whom they apply....
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He Shall Then Remain (Parshat Mishpatim)

Commentary on Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1 – 24:18) So, we’re free from bondage! We’ve accepted our lot as God’s chosen people! Now we eagerly move on to… a list of regulations for a hypothetical society we cannot build yet? Why is Parshat Mishpatim here? The essential clue, I think, is in the first topic: rules...
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