I am so proud of The Masorti Movement in Israel! They have launched a major campaign promoting themselves as an alternative to The Orthodox Monopoly on Marriage in Israel. As you can read in the press release, our movement in Israel has detected something that has been going on and was un-addressed for so many years. 

When young Israelis that have no contact or connection with Orthodoxy want to get married, many, really MANY of them, opt out by going to Cyprus and other countries and having just a civil ceremony. Something had to be done and now IT IS BEING DONE. (more…)

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity of leading a group of members of our congregation to the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington D.C. If you have never attended an AIPAC policy conference, I must tell you — you are absolutely missing out on one of the most energizing and powerful events that exist in the realm of Israel activism, not only in the United States but throughout the world. (more…)

This Shabbat, we will read Parashat Naso, which is the largest Torah portion in the entire Torah. We could certainly spend hours studying and understanding the numerous concepts that appear in this Parashah.  Among other things, Parashat Naso contains the explanation of The Ordeal of The Sotah, the explanation for the Vows of The Nazarites and The Priestly Blessing.  

Rather than talking about The Torah Portion for this week, I would like to share some of my thoughts on The Haftarah for Parashat Naso. The Haftarah for this Shabbat tells the story of the remarkable birth of one of our Biblical Heroes — Shimshon (Samson). The reason why we read this particular Haftarah on this Shabbat is due to the link between Shimshon being a Nazarite himself (having taken that vow) and the description of The Vow of The Nazarite contained in Parshat Naso.  (more…)

This past Tuesday, June 3, 2008 I experienced one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Thanks to the friendship and generosity of Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, one of our Temple Beth Sholom’s most prominent members, I was invited to deliver The Opening Prayer at The U.S. House of Representatives. (more…)

This week we began reading Parashat B’midbar, which owes its name to The Book of The Torah that we began reading this week: Sefer B’midbar. B’midbar is an incredible turning point in The Torah because it takes us to a completely different level of understanding of what our relationship with God should be as Jews. Parashat B’midbar is always read on The Shabbat that precedes The Holy Day of Shavuot. This in and by itself tells us much about the nature of revelation. Shavuot commemorates the gift of Torah by God to The Children of Israel. Why did God choose The Wilderness to give us The Torah? The context of B’midbar is one of wilderness and wandering. 

The years that we spent in The Midbar (The Wilderness) were years of tremendous growth — both physical and spiritual. It was a time of wandering and yearning. Some of the most precious things in life are not automatic. Sometimes to understand what a gift or a blessing really means, we have to detach ourselves from all extraneous influences and thoughts. (more…)

On Sunday June 8, 2008, we will be hosting one of the most wonderful programs that we have had at Temple Beth Sholom during the year. If you still haven’t heard, we have a group of eight children from Israel who are students at The Schwartz Conservatory in Kiryat Bialik (near Haifa). These eight children are not only extremely talented and have won numerous international prizes for their music — they represent a new generation of Israelis! They will perform not only beautiful classical music but will also make us rejoice an experience profound joy through the haunting melodies of our People’s music. (more…)

This will be the home of Torah from Sin City, where Rabbi Goodman from Temple Beth Sholom will share his musings, his stories and his sermons about religion, Israel and life itself.