Do you knowingly choose your actions? Some neuroscientists have cast doubt on “free will.” Itzhak Fried, a neurosurgeon and researcher at UCLA and Tel Aviv Medical Center, used implants combined with fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) to document that there is brain activity for a second and a half before subjects make a conscious decision…
“And it shall be that when you come into the land which the Ever-Present-One your God is giving you as a heritage and you possess and settle in it, you shall take some of the first fruit…” In the Torah, that act of gratitude is coupled with specific words for the pilgrim, words also contained…
Titilation was my initial reaction as a twelve-year old reading this week’s Torah selection, which begins: “When a man goes out to war and sees a beautiful captive and he craves her…” (Deuteronomy 21:10). And yet, the Torah reading responds with rules of restraint: You, the soldier, need to give a captive woman thirty days…
Preparing for the New Year. This morning is Rosh Hodesh Elul, the beginning of the month before Rosh HaShanah. As is the custom, I recited Psalm 27 and blew shofar at the end of my morning prayers. The shofar blasts lacked precision. Eleven months have passed since I took the ram’s horn to my lips. I hope…
What would Elie Wiesel say now? I miss the clarion voice of our great survivor who repeatedly addressed hate. Charlottesville’s “Unite the Right” rally began on Friday night as a mob surged through the campus of the University of Virginia carrying tiki torches, many chanting words freighted by the past, including “Blood and soil…Jews will…
More than bread: Ekev “A person does not live by bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3). What does this mean? In the immediate context of our Torah reading, the verse emphasizes that the Israelites have survived due to manna- God’s daily provision- and that they will need more than physical nourishment in the Promised Land. They will…
Small Groups, year three. Please consider hosting or participating in a group for five weeks of conversation that will explore Love. We have already written a draft of the booklet that will offer content and context for you to meet with friends five times to further your understanding of how love informs your life. Click here for…
Like Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Zelophachad in this week’s Torah reading had five daughters and no sons. Rather than singing “Tradition,” they challenge the laws of the past that only acknowledge sons as tribal heirs. Law and tradition unfold. Judaism has changed across the generations. Justice has demanded reevaluation. In our community, women…
“Holy, Holy, Holy,” the angels chant in praise of God in the prophet Isaiah’s vision (6:3). As we echo those words in our kedushah prayer we go up on our toes signifying that God is uniquely elevated. Korach leads a rebellion against Moses, his fellow Levite. His challenge focuses on holiness: “You have gone too…
Dear Fellow Congregants, As noted in my previous letter, Rabbi Spitz will be going on Sabbatical starting in October and we are busy planning. We anticipate a year of exciting teaching and learning. I want to take this opportunity to introduce the talented group of guest Rabbis that will fill in while he is on…