Resources

The death penalty ultimately becomes a lethal political tool, particularly for election campaigns. “Deterrence,” “retributive justice,” and “proportional justice” can become veils for vengeance; revenge does not bring closure to victims’ loved ones.

When someone like Kenneth Smith is praying even as he is lying on a bed of death, how can we pass by once we are made aware, awakened to God's presence there? 

If I am to take seriously the command to love my neighbor, I have to speak out against what is happening in Israel, in particular the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.

We must be able to identify when something “like” a plague has affected us, but also to recognize when there are limits to our own perspective.

New work by scholar Geoffrey Adelsberg, PhD on how Jews of past generations advanced groundbreaking multiracial coalition work, and what the tensions they faced — including racism within the Jewish community — say about conditions today.

I pledge to continue the call to recognize the sanctity of life for all human beings. I vow never to be silent in the face of oppression — no matter how “political” it may seem to some.

...justice comes in many forms. It is not, as many mistakenly think, mostly punishment and consequences.

Commentary on Parshat Shmini (Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47) What happens when the gift we want to offer isn’t accepted? Why do our efforts to be holy sometimes have tragic consequences? Our Torah reading celebrates the completion of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle built to be God’s dwelling place amongst the people. Precise instructions have been followed,...

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....

I have now heard the moaning of the Israelites because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. (Exodus 6:5) It seems these days I have an endless array of guest speakers in my congregation: about the Syrian refugee crisis, about the death penalty, about homelessness, about the violence fraying...