I’m thrilled you are exploring Society Hill Synagogue and have found your way to the page of Divrei Torah, words of Torah, which are part of a generations-long Jewish practice of refracting sacred Jewish teachings through the light of our own day and age.
For me, Judaism is an opportunity to nourish ourselves, grounded in the Jewish story: a story that has unfolded throughout the generations, with twists and turns, tragedy and triumph, serving as a source of life to those who engage with it.
The Jewish People are known as B’nei Yisrael: the people who wrestle with the Divine. The name comes from that moment in our tradition in which it is understood that our ancestor Jacob “wrestled with a figure,” a figure understood to be a manifestation of that very Divine Being (see Genesis 32).
That moment produced a legacy of sacred wrestling; grappling; seeking to make meaning of, and find purpose in, our time on earth.
These Divrei Torah are my efforts, in conversation with the community of Society Hill Synagogue, to make meaning and to find purpose, seeking to serve this community, our broader world, and the Divine.
I hope you find meaning in them yourself, and I encourage you to reach out to me if you would like to discuss their contents or to discuss becoming a part of the Society Hill Synagogue community. Welcome!
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Making Ourselves Known: Unburdening As A Bridge To The Divine
Yom Kippur, Society Hill Synagogue, 5784 There is one particular story from Torah that is sticking with me this Yom Kippur, and it’s a story that, while perhaps known to many, does not necessarily have an enduring role in the Jewish ritual calendar and so
Loving Your Neighbor As Yourself: A Journey Into The Soul
Kol Nidre, Society Hill Synagogue, 5784 Rabbi Akiva has been called the greatest rabbi of them all, the most esteemed of the ancient rabbis. So when he identifies what he considers to be כְּלַל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה, the great principle in all of Torah, you sit
The Enduring Sacredness Of The Synagogue
Rosh Hashanah 5784 I have to say, I never imagined myself here. I never imagined myself as a pulpit rabbi. Many of you know that I had a brief foray as an attorney before this, and even when I got to rabbinical school, I didn’t
To Life: Seven Points of Guidance for The Synagogue Service-going Experience
Erev Rosh Hashanah, Society Hill Synagogue, 5784 Judaism is not a religion that is often closely associated with math; most of us rabbis got into this business precisely to avoid it, but I want to get into just a little bit of addition with you.
Welcoming Guests and Embracing Openness: A Reflection on Hachnasat Orchim and the Spirit of Community
Last year, when we inaugurated this version of our Open House Shabbat, which begins with our first TGIShabbat after a Summer Break and extends through tomorrow morning, Shabbat morning, we did so through a teaching built around the Jewish value of Hachnasat Orchim, the welcoming
High Holidays: Making Your Soul a Vessel for Change
For those of you, like me, who love a podcast, or who are exploring the medium, I loved being interviewed on the latest Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations podcast. You can listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. It is titled, “High Holidays: Making Your Soul a
Ever-Relevant Modes of Interpretation
One of the highlights of my summer—besides discovering my four-year-old daughter Lila’s obsession with being in the pool for hours on end; or my seventeen-month-old-Nina’s increasingly adorable pronunciation of Aba (dad, in Hebrew); or the few extra hours here and there that I’ve gotten to spend with
Judaism Says: You Are Capable Of More Than You Know
Each and every week this summer I’ve been experiencing such richness as part of our Shabbat (Saturday) morning Torah discussions. Our services start at 9:45 am, and then by 10:30, after about 45 minutes of opening prayers, reflections, and songs, we reach our Torah service,
How Exile Shows Up In Our Lives
Starting Wednesday night and continuing through Thursday, we honor Tishah B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, the date which commemorates numerous tragedies over the course of Jewish history, including and especially the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, the Temple in Jerusalem, the focal point of
The Special Time of Jewish Weddings, Tragedy in Philly, and Turmoil in Israel
Dear Friends, I just got back from a brief vacation in Portland, Oregon where Caroline and I attended my sister’s wedding, which I was honored to officiate. Jewish (and presumably all) weddings are aimed at capturing an experience that can seemingly transcend time: the sheva berachot,
Belief in Our Capacities | A Tale of Two Ships
This past week at Shabbat services (9:45 am – 12 noon followed each week by lunch with the community) we discussed the notorious incident of the twelve scouts. As the Israelites are approaching the land of their ancestors, God instructs them to send twelve representatives,
A Year In Review, And The Year To Come
Dear Friends, We’ve reached, in many ways, our summer season, featuring a different pace. We catch our breaths a bit from the year that has been, while also taking advantage of this slower pace to lay the groundwork for the year to come. This spirit
What Our Own Prayers Can Say
Last week we talked about the Amidah, and we talked about the Amidah because it is in some ways the perfect encapsulation of the tension between two instincts when it comes to prayer in Jewish tradition—one instinct in prayer is the spontaneous, the extemporaneous, the
Tribute to Rabbi Avi, my Mentor and Friend
I’ve been waiting a long time for this opportunity—the opportunity to pay tribute to a cherished mentor and a dear friend, Rabbi Avi Winokur. The annals of synagogue histories are replete with stories of contentiousness between Senior Rabbis and Rabbis Emeritus. Not here. Not with
What the Shabbat Prayers May Be Saying
Many of you have heard me say it a million times by now. “Now is the time of the silent offering of the amidah, the offering of the heart. You’re invited to offer up whatever prayers you have using the words on the page or