I was driving toward a traffic light on East Cobb Drive the other day when a woman in a black Maserati SUV backed into my car. She had tried to make a right turn, pulled halfway into the intersection, and then decided that she didn’t have enough time. As she backed up rather quickly, I Continue Reading »
There are many reasons why I keep my own personal political beliefs close to the chest. First and foremost is because I do not want anyone to believe that a particular sermon I give or a stance that our synagogue takes is rooted in my own personal politics. Instead of letting politics guide us, I Continue Reading »
So, first thing is first. I know that parents are told never to lie to their kids. I want to apologize to Zev and Haley, and maybe to some of you too, by saying I was going to New York when I was really going to Israel. But I want to assure you that I had Continue Reading »
Rosh Hashanah 5784: Be-naareynu U-vizukunaynu: Moving Forward Together This past year has been one of two major milestones in my life. The first is a milestone birthday that reminds me how old I’ve become since I arrived at Etz Chaim. No one tells you when you are in your 30s that your body and your Continue Reading »
There are certain songs that I can’t listen to without sobbing. Anything by James Taylor and Carol King. Puff the Magic Dragon. Most of what plays on the “The Bridge” channel on SiriusXM. What is amazing is this inevitable sobbing begins before any of the lyrics are actually recited. I just have to hear a few chords. My Continue Reading »
This past week at a local grocery store, my patience was running thin. The checkout boy clearly had no discernible skills when it came to identifying produce or any non-barcoded grocery. I was polite and all smiles on the outside, but seething on the inside. Ten minutes. How could someone so inept waste so much Continue Reading »
As printed in the Marietta Daily Journal, May 12, 2023 I have to admit that I am a little embarrassed to be writing this letter. I’ve been the rabbi of the largest synagogue in Cobb County for nearly seven years. During that time, I’ve experienced no outward antisemitism (Jew hatred) against me personally. On the Continue Reading »
At some point in my rabbinate (I am deliberately being ambiguous as to the timeline here), I received a rather chutzpadik complaint. In fairness to this person, the complaint itself was not the problem. She may even have had a point. What made the complaint chutzpadik was that the person who issued the complaint was Continue Reading »
The last thing that I did to mark the weekend of my fortieth birthday was to buy a lottery ticket. We were leaving Atlantic City (having broken even, I can proudly say) after a beautiful Shabbat. We stopped at a rest stop and feeling lucky, I bought a Powerball ticket. It’s been several weeks. I still Continue Reading »
