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Jun 15, 2017, 9:31 PM

On Family, Terror in Virginia, and the Sound of Silence

The Maccabeats recently released a cover of one of my favorite songs, the Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. The song’s narrator describes a dream in which he sees a cult of thousands of people interacting without words, writing...

Jun 30, 2016, 9:31 PM

Absolute Faith and Hard Truths

It is fascinating that we refer to the episode of the 12 Jewish leaders Moses sends to assess Canaan as “the story of the מרגלים.” At no point during the telling of the story, at least in the original...

Mar 5, 2015, 12:49 AM

Taking the Purim Pledge

In preparation for Purim, the Orthodox Union is trying something new to combat substance abuse in the Jewish community during this fan-favorite of holidays. The OU is using an online pledge form, social media, and the hashtag “#purimpledge” to...

Oct 7, 2014, 10:07 PM

With Great Power

One of the recurring themes of the Yomim Noraim, of the Days of Awe, is that of G-d's dominion over the world. The Talmud (Yoma 87b) records the opinion of Rabbi Yochanan that וידוי, penitence, begins with the words...

Aug 24, 2014, 11:36 PM

Kids, milk, and bad scholarship

For those who accept the assumptions of the Documentary Hypothesis, it makes sense to limit questions about the consistency of the text rather than to multiply them. The goal of Biblical criticism, as I understand it, is to use...

Aug 18, 2014, 9:44 PM

The Hope for Peace

Usually, when someone promises you a reward, he or she tells you what the reward will be, not just the conditions for receiving it. When someone threatens you, he or she doesn't just tell you what would trigger their...

Jul 1, 2014, 10:59 PM

Making Meaning from the Inexplicable

The recent news of the tragic murder of Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali and the reactions I see on my newsfeeds, in my inbox, and in conversations among friends remind me of the parah adumah, the red heifer, about which we...

Dec 2, 2012, 9:12 PM

Why We Need the Tav HaYosher

It was a hot July day and my friend and I were exhausted. As Uri L’Tzedek volunteers we had spent hours traveling around Manhattan to tell kosher restaurants about the Tav HaYosher. As the afternoon sun beat down on...

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About Me

Rabbi Jason Strauss is the rabbi of Congregation Kadimah-Toras Moshe in Brighton, MA and a Judaic Studies teacher at Maimonides School in Brookline, MA.