Mekor ha-hayyim, somkeh noflim, matir asurim— Champion of the downtrodden, we ask that, today and every day, You show our leaders how to walk Your paths: Enable them to see Your image in all people, eradicating all forms of bigotry … Continue reading
I was honored to have been invited to deliver the benediction at the Inauguration Ceremonies for Governor Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring at the Virginia State Capitol, January 13, 2018. Below is the text … Continue reading
Tuesday morning, President Trump retweeted several outrageous (and, reports indicate, phony) Islamophobic videos from a fringe British ultranationalist group. The outburst represents a continuation of a disturbing pattern. President Trump routinely targets and vilifies Muslims. The pattern seems to intensify … Continue reading
They have become the most powerful symbols of the past year. But before they were symbols, they were people. Early each morning, sometimes before sunrise, 3 year-old Aylan would sneak quietly out of his bed, shuffle softly against the stone … Continue reading
Originally delivered at Temple Beth-El, Richmond, Virginia (June 19-20, 2015) As most of you have recognized by now, I typically do not write out my sermons or deliver them from prepared notes. I do that for many reasons, chief among … Continue reading
Over the past few years, I had been trying to pass a teshuvah (Jewish legal opinion) in the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards arguing that Jewish law insists we must not patronize businesses that abuse their workers. The paper … Continue reading
When we review the top stories of 2013, we find that it was a mixed year on the human dignity front: Expanded rights for gays and lesbians in the United States; a new pope’s deeds of compassion and love; and a celebration of … Continue reading
The Tisch