The Drash

There is no event worse placed on the Jewish calendar than Tzom Gedalya. The fast has nothing to do with any of the themes we’ve been discussing over the past two days. It has absolutely zero to do with the much longer, more significant fast we will be...

Friends, as we gather in this chamber today, on the Jewish calendar we are in the concluding weeks of the Hebrew month of Elul—a time in our tradition for self-reflection, accountability, and spiritual preparation, that will culminate in our celebration...

Our world has become so transactional sometimes that it makes me sad. Once upon a time, you knew your bank teller’s name and they knew yours.  It didn’t take you five different prompts to get a customer service person on the phone. Today, efficiency and...

The first time I went to visit Harvard, George W. Bush was dropping bombs over Iraq.  I vaguely remember the constant refrain of OutKast’s “Bombs over Baghdad” playing in my head. Walking through campus, my friend Arie (who attended Harvard) and I couldn’t...

In the aftermath of the various quiz show scandals in the 1960s, in which contestants were fed answers in advance of the show to placate sponsors’ desires for higher ratings–Merv Griffin‘s wife was sitting next to him on an airplane.  She told him, “We...

We don’t think about it all that much, but here in East Cobb we currently live over 1000 feet above sea level. When I was growing up in Philadelphia, I was living 39 feet above sea level. Is Mountain air good for the soul? Is that why everyone here looks...

Two years ago I was running late to a funeral.  I was driving 68 miles an hour on Roswell Road.  That’s when I saw the flashing lights.  A cop pulled me over to give me a ticket.    I was understandably anxious.  And so when...

There’s a Facebook group called “Surely, this will save Conservative Judaism.” It has 4000 members and is billed as a satirical group. For as long as many of us can remember, Conservative Jews have been decrying the demise of Conservative Judaism, and...

People sometimes use the words spirituality and religion interchangeably. The words are worlds apart. Spirituality implies seeking a deep, individual connection with God. People who say they are “spiritual, but not religious” practice yoga and meditation,...

Prior to Simchat Torah there was some discussion about how our shul would acknowledge October 7, 2023, which had fallen on Simchat Torah. We concocted an elaborate plan.  We would commemorate the loss on Shemini Atzeret during Yizkor.  We would then dance...