September 2024

As we approach the Fall Holidays this year, we also approach the anniversary of the Simchat Torah Massacre perpetrated by Hamas on the Gaza Envelope communities of Southern Israel and at the Nova music festival, and the yahrzeit of roughly 1200 victims killed in the...

May 2024

From the second night of Passover, we begin counting up each night toward the holiday of Shavuot, defining the period known as the Counting of the Omer, or simply the Omer. Traditionally, this span of the calendar has a tone of mourning to it, though the exact origins...

March 2024

The early spring holidays, Purim and Passover, are the epitome, and undoubtedly the inspiration, of that old saw: “they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat.” The two holidays celebrate victory over different approaches to destroying the Jews. The Purim story...

January 2024

This year (5784) is a leap year on the Jewish calendar. This means we’ll be adding an extra month, First Adar, which begins on February 10th of the secular calendar this year. This extra month will push our holidays from being early in their range (measured against...

November 2023

Normally, I look ahead to the time period covered by the upcoming Scroll for something to write about. On this occasion, I must address the events of the recent past, and unfolding at present. But words fail. It’s not because there is nothing to say about the terror...

September 2023

Over the High Holy Days, we pass through the threshold of the new year, not only in fact but in focus. During the month of Elul, last of the old year, we focus on the year past, examining our own behavior and character during the year coming to an end, and asking...

June 2023

On the traditional Jewish calendar, summer is the season of tragedy. To the modern ear, this may sound perverse. Summer is the season of vacation! Summer camp! Swimming pools! But there is a cold historical logic underlying this verity: summer is the high season for...

May 2023

In honor of what amounts to the Torah’s birthday on Shavuot, I’d like to take the opportunity to mention some upcoming and ongoing learning opportunities: First, our ongoing “Nach” (Prophets and Writings) class meets Mondays at 4 pm. By the time you read this, we’ll...

March 2023

The spring holiday season is upon us! Though not nearly as concentrated or intense as their fall counterparts, the spring holidays – from Purim in early March this year to Shavuot falling in late May – are easily the busiest such an extended period on the Jewish...

December 2022

In recent weeks, we have been witness to a disturbing trend: a rash of public celebrity figures openly engaging in anti-Semitic acts and statements. The current spate began in early October with the rapper Kanye West (who lately goes by “Ye,” which he pronounces...