I wanted to write about this experience for quite some time, but for some reason or another I have not had a chance to do it. Every time I travel to a new country where I haven’t been before, I first search to see if there are any Kosher restaurants to be visited!

This past summer while on vacation in Costa Rica, I made one of the most amazing Kosher discoveries in recent memory — at least in my own recent memory. There is a Kosher Burger King in San Jose, Costa Rica! Who knew? (more…)

Most of us know the story from The Tanach where Elijah strives to “understand” God’s presence and effect in the world. Elijah looks carefully at what happens around him to see where God is and what God is trying to say to him. Elijah looks at a fire consuming a bush but can’t find God in the fire. He listens to a great noise but can’t find God in the noise, and he feels a powerful wind but he can’t find God in the wind.

He finally finds God speaking to him in a “still small voice!” — just like the author of Unetaneh Tokef (one of the most powerful and beautiful prayers in our High Holy Day liturgy) wants us to visualize God’s power. Not in the midst of a great show of force, rather in the silence and the stillness of a small voice! Kol D’mama Daka! (more…)

This article appeared in The Jewish Daily Forward

Rabbis Focus on Professional Development

By Marissa Brostoff

Moses was probably an introvert.

That was one of the conclusions reached by the rabbis who gathered at a professional development seminar in Manhattan this summer. As part of the seminar, the rabbis took the Myers-Briggs personality test, which measures how introspective, intuitive and perceptive people are, to better understand how they operated in challenging workplace situations. Then they tried to predict how some of the founders of their company — and some of Judaism’s forefathers — would have fared on the same test.  

That rabbis can benefit from learning management techniques more commonly used in the corporate world is a central tenet of a new program called the Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Enrichment Initiative, hosted by the Jewish Theological Seminary. This summer, 14 “mid-career” Conservative movement rabbis from around the country spent 10 days in New York immersed in a program that combined managerial training with more traditional forms of rabbinical study.

(more…)

When we first decided to come to Costa Rica on vacation, we did so for a number of reasons. We were told that we would be able to see the most amazing wildlife and breath-taking sights. We arrived here last week and everything has been exactly like we expected it to be. The monkeys swing out in full force every morning, and we can see them from our window, then we run into them again when we go to the beach later in the day. We have seen butterflies that seem to have been colored by the hand of God, the colors are not only vibrant but they are unlike any colors we have ever seen before! We were prepared for all of these, and we haven’t been disappointed.

(more…)

As many of you know, the past two years have been a time of incredible spiritual growth for me. I had always wanted to better understand the specific area in Halacha (Jewish Law) that deals with the writing of Gittin (a Jewish writ of divorce), which is so complicated that one needs absolute expertise to be able to understand it. (more…)

It’s been a great summer so far! Well, its been a little while since I posted something on my blog. The last couple of weeks have come and gone like a whirlwind. Usually summertime is a very slow time when it comes to Temple Beth Sholom.

For the most part during the last 10 years, the summer was the time that I used to carefully meditate on the upcoming High Holy Days and to begin thinking about my sermons. This summer has been a very different one — wonderful but different! (more…)

This coming Sunday, July 6, 2008, The Summerlin Community Baptist Church is holding a “God Bless Israel Night.” It will be held at their church (find a map below) on 2100 Snow Trail (behind The Trails Shopping Center) at 6 PM. What exactly is it and why are they doing it? (more…)

More often than not, people ask me what my favorite websites are. I really have many websites that I go to constantly, but there are a few that I believe are true gems and everyone should visit them. I have decided to post one of my favorite websites each week on my blog. Since many of us spend more time online than we spend watching TV or reading the newspaper, I think it is important to access websites that will give something back to our Jewish Identity. (more…)

Parashat Korah is one of those key transitional places in The Torah. For many weeks, we have been reading about The Journey of The Children of Israel through the wilderness. We read about the glorious redemption from slavery in Egypt, about the power of God and the reluctant determination of Moses to lead the people.It is important to remember what a reluctant leader Moses always was. Our Sages have taught us that Moses was the most humble man ever to walk the earth; he didn’t want to be a leader but God and History had completely different plans for him. Moses was the one who considered himself an “Arel Sfatayim (someone with uncircumcised lips).” It took major convincing and arm twisting from God to send Moses on his way to help free our People from bondage. (more…)

Rabbis almost never find themselves at a loss for words. I must however confess that today I felt I had no words. Saying good-bye to a friend that for the past eight years has been so much more than just my colleague was one of the hardest things I have had to do in recent years. 

Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn and his family have moved to start a new Pulpit in Westport Connecticut. Jeremy truly is one of the best friends that I have ever had. When I left Mexico, I never imagined I was going to find such a good friend when I came to Las Vegas, and now as he begins a new part of his journey as a Rabbi. I have no other words for him but — Thank You! (more…)