Speaking Out When One of Our Own Causes Harm
Judaism does not have a modern mechanism for excommunication. Yet ḥerem—the practice of excluding someone from communal standing—comes closest to expressing what many of us feel when a public figure’s actions profoundly violate Jewish ethical values. How often do we look at someone in the news and quietly ask, “Are they Jewish?” And when the […]
Breaking Barriers: Sarah’s Laughter and New Possibilities
This week’s Torah portion, Vayera, opens with a promise that seems impossible. Three visitors arrive at Abraham’s tent and declare that within a year, ninety-year-old Sarah will bear a son. Sarah, listening from the tent entrance, laughs. “After I am withered, shall I have pleasure, with my husband so old?” (Genesis 18:12) We often read […]
Rabbi Heidi’s Challah
1 cup hot water2 Tablespoons sugar1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast or one packet Mix the sugar in the hot water so that it melts. Make sure that it is not scalding hot when you put the yeast in or you will kill the yeast. You’ll know your yeast is good because when you set the yeast […]
Where is Hope?
(I wrote this at 9:00am this morning (Feb. 20, 2025). And at 3:27pm, we just learned that the body we thought was Shiri’s is not. Words are escaping me…) Tikvah, hope. This is what we all held on to for 503 days. We watched on October 7, 2023, the atrocities of Hamas murdering over 1200 […]
What We Can Learn and Do to Show Mercy and Love the Stranger
Show Mercy and Compassion This week, Bishop Mariann Edger Budde’s sermon at the post-inauguration service on Tuesday, drew the attention of the country. Religious or not, her message has many talking and many clergy enamored. She spoke directly to President Trump saying: “I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who […]
Acheinu – Our Brothers and Sisters, Can You Finally Be Coming Home?
As we all heard, an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas. We are elated because it means some hostages can start coming home. Families may have closure and hopefully, there can be some peace in the region. Yet, it still seems so far away. We hold our breath because, as we saw this morning, […]
Remembering President Carter, z’l
President Jimmy Carter was remembered today during a service at the Washington National Cathedral. Eulogizing someone and trying to encapsulate their whole life in just a few minutes is challenging. And to do so for someone who was 100 years old and contributed so much to our country and our world seems even more daunting. […]
Expanding the Table of Thanksgiving Traditions
Thanksgiving is a day that celebrates gratitude, togetherness, and—of course—traditions. Every family has its own way of marking the holiday, whether it’s watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – what happens with those balloons when it rains or is windy?; the precise method of cooking the turkey (to brine or not to brine?); or the […]
Holding Onto Hope and Doing the Work
Has it only been a week? It feels longer. Honestly, some days, it’s tempting to just stay in bed, pull the covers up, and wait for a better moment. Anyone else feel like that? This week has been heavy, and the news keeps coming at us, each headline more overwhelming than the last. We’ve had […]
Feelings of Uncertainty and Fear
The past 36 hours have been filled with many intense emotions. Yes, democracy worked, and the election results show that a majority of those who voted chose Donald Trump as the next President. However, that does not mean I will sit quietly over the next two or four years (including midterm elections). I am deeply […]
