Let me begin this column by admitting to something that I am guilty of.  Very often it takes me more than a couple of months to catch on to the latest social trends.  Sometimes I have a hard time simply giving in to frenzy or joining the crowd in watching, celebrating or participating in something just because everyone else is doing it.  No, I am not talking about life altering events for members of our congregation or our community but rather about the type of thing that the world decides is “in” or must be experienced!  Take for example The Royal Wedding.  When my wife told me she planned on waking up at one in the morning to watch six uninterrupted hours of “The Royals” parading through the streets of London, my reaction was not the best.  I really have nothing against The Queen of England or Prince Charles or any of them but as you can understand it is simply not my thing.  I have always questioned the need for Monarchs in a democratic society.  I have always been awe struck by the tremendous amount of wealth it takes to finance the Royal lifestyle!  When you compound the fact that Monarchs believe that they were appointed by no other than God to rule over others, you completely loose my attention!

(more…)

Share on Facebook

Masked in the horrifying news out of Japan this weekend was a cruel act of cold blooded murder that should not go un noticed. The little Jewish Settlement of Itamar with its population of about 200 families located in the Shomron hills was the scene of one of the most brutal terrorist attacks that Israel has experienced recently. (more…)

Share on Facebook

RA Convention

What it means for Us.

I was ordained as a Rabbi by The Jewish Theological Seminary back in 1996. Besides serving this community, which I love, being a member of The Rabbinical Assembly remains without a doubt one of the highlights of my rabbinate.

The Rabbinical Assembly is the professional organization of Conservative Rabbis. We number over 1,600 spread around the world, from Chile to Canada, in Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia. The Rabbinical Assembly has been around for over a century and through that time some of our members have made tremendously impactful contributions to The Jewish World. Be it through profound and insightful scholarship or through careers imbued with passion and love for the mitzvot, my colleagues have given of themselves so that values, traditions and most important a way of life that is so dear and vital to us continues to thrive even in difficult times. (more…)

Share on Facebook

What kind of Tent of Meeting would Betzalel build if he was alive today?

(more…)

Share on Facebook

Debbie Friedman was about much more than just music!

Just last Friday night, in a very uncharacteristic move I asked my congregation to recite a Mishebeirach (A prayer for healing) for Debbie Friedman. It was an unusual moment because in traditional Judaism, we do not recite that type of prayer during Friday night services. We didn’t recite the traditional formula of The Mishebeirach either, we used a beautiful melody and English words composed by Debbie Friedman herself. (more…)

Share on Facebook

Dear Friends;

God is not in The Fire! God lives within the heart of our people!

When we tell stories about spending Hanukkah in Israel it is hard to imagine anything but true joy, jelly doughnuts, candles, light and an amazing sense of what it means to be a free people in our homeland. This Friday I write to you from Israel, where the country is immersed in one of the worst tragedies it has ever experienced aside from war itself. (more…)

Share on Facebook

The following letter was sent out by the following three conservative Rabbis: Rabbi Felipe Goodman, Rabbi Adam Watstein and Rabbi Bradley Tecktiel.

Dear Friends:                               

This past week during his radio program Rabbi Yitzchak Wyne of Young Israel Aish Ha Torah in Las Vegas stood idly by and laughed as the co-host of the show and past president of his congregation, Peter Dubowski, called the Conservative Movement a breeding ground for Jews for Jesus.  Rabbi Wyne sat in silence as Mr. Dubowski informed his radio audience that Conservative Jews are, by and large, ignorant and devoid of spirituality because they have removed God from their congregations.   (Please click here to access the audio clip.)  (more…)

Share on Facebook

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser to speak at Temple Beth Sholom on Sunday Oct. 18, 2009.

I can still remember that day, I believe that most of us can remember exactly what we were doing or where we were when we heard the news.  For our generation, 9/11 had a very similar effect to that of President Kennedy’s assassination on the generation of  our parents and grandparents. 

Losing one’s innocence, understanding that the world can be a cruel desolate place devoid of morals or ethics is a horrible reality to wake up to.  Yet I am amazed!  As much as we say we remember what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, as much as we go through the motions of trying to understand and as much as we sometimes still break into tears, I believe most of us have truly forgotten why this happened.  (more…)

Share on Facebook

The Shooting at The Gay and Lesbian Center in Tel Aviv… much more than just bullets!

Before I begin to write the words that I really want to write, I want to take a trip down memory lane. Let me warn you though, these are not pleasant memories. I remember it as if it happened yesterday.

I was a rabbinical student at The Jewish Theological Seminary. Shabbat Nov. 4, 1995 seemed to be just like any other Shabbat; it turned out to be a day that changed the fabric and soul of the Jewish People forever. (more…)

Share on Facebook

Every year as we ready ourselves to begin reading Sefer B’midbar (The Book of Numbers) from The Torah, my heart rejoices! Why? Well, first of all it really signals the arrival of summer. When I first moved to Las Vegas 11 years ago, I really didn’t look forward to the summer months. Now, I love them! Our physical surroundings, the beautiful mountains that encircle our valley and the almost uninterrupted abundance of bright and powerful light remind me of what it must have been like for our ancestors in The Wilderness. (more…)

Share on Facebook