David Wolpe, at The Blogs

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Feb 16, 2022, 7:16 PM

When the Israelites came to the Sea of Reeds, it did not part. Even Moses’ entreaties to God could not get the sea to split. The rabbis recount that one man, Nachshon Ben Amminadav, boldly leapt into the sea, and it parted. Like Curtis who...

Feb 9, 2022, 12:48 AM

What Are the Jews?

Although the Nazis branded Jews an inferior race, Jews are not exactly a race. After all, one can convert to Judaism and one cannot convert to be of a different race. Yet they have some characteristics in common. Hmm. On the other hand, Jews aren’t...

Feb 2, 2022, 5:40 PM

The True Disciple

There is an old story about two students who studied with the same great rabbi. After the rabbi died, they separated and did not see each other for many years. One of them meticulously followed all he had learned from his teacher. The other developed...

Jan 27, 2022, 11:41 PM

He Didn’t Lie!

Two stories comment on one another. Once R. Levi Yizkhak of Berditchev, known as “the lover of Israel,” saw a man smoking on Yom Kippur. He said, “You must not have realized that today is Yom Kippur.” “No,” the man responded, “I know it is...

Jan 19, 2022, 11:59 PM

Eternity in Every Instant

Abraham Joshua Heschel used to tell the story of the boy in cheder who was reading the story of the Akedah, the binding of Isaac. Year after year they read the story, yet each time this boy was frightened – what if Isaac is hurt?...

Jan 13, 2022, 5:31 AM

Complaining About Miracles

As soon as the people leave Egypt, they begin to complain. Moses, frustrated, asks “Why do you try the Lord?” The word for “try” is “tenasun” which is Hebrew has the same two letters, nun and samach, that spell ‘nes’ or miracle. Moses is reminding...

Jan 4, 2022, 7:01 PM

When Nothing Goes Right

Every age brings its difficulties. It is true that with all the advantages of our age, it can still seem as if everything is going wrong. It may or may not help to know that this is not a new sentiment. From the beginning of...

Dec 27, 2021, 10:26 PM

The Scourge of Loneliness

As the New Year approaches we are reminded again of the scourge of loneliness. It is the first thing that the Torah deplores: “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Gen. 2:18) We are creatures of connection, needing one another to get...

Dec 22, 2021, 1:37 AM

Beautiful Beams

When we see a beautiful building, we don’t see the girders that shape it underneath. They are not considered picturesque. When we see a beautiful person, we do not see the bones. The skeleton is not considered lovely. As Jean Kerr wrote, “People say that...

Dec 13, 2021, 4:59 AM

Traveling at Home

There is nothing like travel to remind us how often proximity makes us intolerant. In another country, when we see a custom that is different from our own, we think, ‘well they have different assumptions and ideas here.’ When we see that our fellow citizens...

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About Me

Named the most influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine and one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by the Jerusalem Post, David Wolpe is the Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, California.