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Jul 12, 2026, 3:02 PM

Av: The Tet of Hidden Goodness

After the constriction of Tammuz, the Jewish calendar descends into what appears to be its darkest point. The walls have been breached. The siege has tightened. The shadow of destruction hangs over Jerusalem. Then comes Av. At first glance, Av seems to...

Jul 10, 2026, 8:36 AM

A Timely and Urgent Resource for Every Jewish Community

“The Case against Cremation and for Traditional Burial” A profound defense of Jewish tradition and the eternal sanctity of the human form In recent years, a troubling and deeply concerning trend has emerged: too many Jews are opting for cremation without...

Jul 10, 2026, 8:01 AM

The Danger of Suspicion (Matot, Covenant & Conversation)

It is a fascinating story, and from it comes one of the great principles of Judaism. Two of the tribes, Reuben and Gad, see that the land east of the Jordan is ideally suited as pasture for their large...

Chavi Eisenberg

Jul 9, 2026, 10:22 PM

Feeling at Home in Torah

"I'm sorry if this is a stupid question..." I hear some version of that sentence almost every time I teach. Before my students can finish apologizing, I usually stop them. "There are no stupid questions." Over the years, I've realized that I don't...

Jul 9, 2026, 8:48 PM

The Way Past the Spiritual Plateau

Some observant Jews describe the same experience. There was a period when observance was vivid. And then, some years later, the vividness thinned. The practice continued. The observance continued. But the aliveness was harder to find. This is the plateau. Observance...

Jul 9, 2026, 8:44 PM

Matot–Masei: Is Living in Israel One of the 613 Mitzvot? Who Cares!

In a recent conversation with a rabbinic friend and colleague—a discussion that echoed many others I have had over the years—I remarked that I believe every Jew who is genuinely committed to Torah and Judaism should live in Israel. “But...

Ben-Tzion Spitz

Jul 8, 2026, 8:24 PM

Jealous and Vengeful God (Matot-Masai)

“I had rather be a toad, and live upon the vapor of a dungeon than keep a corner in the thing I love for others uses.”-William Shakespeare There is a dark and dangerous side to our God and beware all...

Robert Lichtman

Jul 8, 2026, 8:02 AM

The power of an embrace

photo by Robert Lichtman

It’s truly a beautiful thing when we observe a custom that is universal among all Jewish communities. When we conclude the public Torah reading of parashat Mase’ei and move on from the book of B’midbar we will all chant...

Jul 7, 2026, 1:13 PM

Cosmic Moods: Reform Judaism Meets the Space Age

Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof in his younger years. American Jewish Archives. https://www.americanjewisharchives.org; https://press.huc.edu/pittsburgh-book-launch.
Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, New Reform Responsa (Philadelphia: The Hebrew Union College Press, 1980), which included a responsum titled “Halacha and Space Travel.”

In 1970 – soon after the lunar landing – the most prolific respondent in American Reform Judaism and an expert on responsa literature, Rabbi Solomon Bennett Freehof (1892-1990), published an article in the Jewish Book Annual, titled “Recent Responsa...

Jul 7, 2026, 12:44 AM

The mothers we become

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Being a parent is the lifelong work of watching pieces of your own heart walk out into the world, even when they travel beyond your reach

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