“Who are you to tell me what to do?” “You’re not the boss of me!” “This is a free country!” We’ve all been witness to those moments when someone, often in the beginnings of a fit of rage, push back against an authority figure who is telling them something they don’t want to hear. Whether

Singing is a great part of our worship services every week – but this week is called the Sabbath of Song –Shabbat Shira when we chant the words of the Song of the Sea from the book of Exodus. We use special melodies to chant this passage, which recalls the parting of the Red Sea –

What is it like to watch the country you love collapse in real-time?  This is the question that leaps from the mouths of Pharaoh’s courtiers at the beginning of this week’s Torah portion.  At the beginning of Parashat Bo, Moses demands yet again that Pharaoh release the Hebrew slaves from bondage, promising to complete the

In 2022, I will mark my 20th year with Temple Beth El and so I have been thinking a lot about that career path. I never grew up wanting to be a rabbi. I got my first job after college by luck more than anything in the British Reform movement. My boss was a leader in

“And there arose a new king in Egypt who did not know Joseph.”   These words from this week’s Torah portion, Shemot, set up the generations of enslavement to Pharaoh that befell our biblical ancestors. Fearful of the prolific progeny of the Israelites, this king chose to deal harshly with us, eventually bonding us into

This summer my husband and I finally did what we said we would do, even if it has taken us over a decade to follow through. While the task was important, we just had not made it a priority. Work, family, and so many other responsibilities obfuscated what we knew had to be done.  

Here’s what I am reading: “The Morgan Lewis Investigation Report into Allegations of Misconduct at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion”. That mouthful is the title of an independent investigation of sexual harassment, gender bias, and other forms of inequitable treatment at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reform Movement’s seminary. HUC-JIR, as it is

Michigan vs. Ohio State.  One of the longest and most passionate rivalries in college football. Last Saturday, more than 111,000 people crowded into Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor to watch these two storied teams battle for a shot at the Big Ten Championship. Nearly 16 million people watched on television. The passion of Michigan Wolverine

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite pieces of what scholar Charles Liebman called American Civil Religion. In addition to the turkey and stuffing, which I love, and the desserts I enjoy even more, and of course a few Black Friday bargains, it is the spirit of the holiday that I particularly value. Thanksgiving is a

I just started studying the field of Judaism known as musar. It deals with what are called Middot, various ethical qualities of God that we try to emulate. These qualities which include kindness, patience, humility and enthusiasm. As Sam Glaser explains “Middot comes from the word “measure.” We are measured by our middot. Alternatively, each of