How To Share Joy
02/02/2021 02:12:15 PM
One of the notable features of life during a pandemic is the limit on the number of people we can share our simchas with. As a rabbi, I have spent much time this year encouraging individuals to focus on what they have, rather than on what they do not have. I point out that it is important to focus on those who are present at the simcha, rather than on those who cannot be there because of the limitations of the...Read more...
Don't Just Do Something, Stand There
01/24/2021 12:22:00 PM
“Don’t just stand there, do something” is a phrase we all know well, and it calls us to action
when action is needed. But could it be there are times when the opposite is appropriate, when
we would say, “ don’t do something, just stand there”?
There is a word in Hebrew--sovel--which is defined as patience. The dictionary defines
patience as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering...Read more...
Our Vaccine
01/18/2021 01:01:43 PM
As you all know, I've had my share of health challenges. With the help of Hashem and his agents in the medical profession, the lymphoma that threatened me was put into remission 3.5 years ago. About a month ago I had my regularly scheduled semi-annual check-up, and BH all is very good. I asked my oncologist about the vaccine, and he emphatically encouraged me to get it as soon as the opportunity presented itself. I relate to my...Read more...
End of life Preparedness
01/13/2021 12:10:37 PM
This past Shabbos, the National Association of Chevra Kadisha sponsored TEAM---Traditional End of Life Awareness. The goal of TEAM is to bring awareness of the need for wills, halachic living wills and medical proxies aligned with halacha.
These are not issues that people like to deal with, especially those of us who think of themselves as young. But one thing among many that we have learned from this past year is...Read more...
Of Frost and Flats
12/24/2020 10:05:01 AM
My wife had a school principal that would say every day, “have a great day or not; the choice is yours”. This past Sunday could have been a terrible, miserable day, but I made the choice.
It actually started very well. I won my argument with my yetzer hara earlier than normal and was actually up early enough to say all of Korbanos and learn part of the Daf. I headed to shul with plenty of time to get my...Read more...
A Good Investment
12/15/2020 09:02:46 AM
To paraphrase the famous quote attributed to Mark Twain about the weather, everyone complains about the speed of davening, but no one does anything about it. Some maintain it goes too fast, others insist it is way too slow, and I imagine there are a couple of people who think it is fine the way it is. This has been going on since our shul was founded, actually-- and is not unique to our shul. I remember discussing this with Rav Aaron...Read more...
Happy 56th!
12/03/2020 03:38:41 PM
I have developed a practice over the last several years, when congratulating a couple in shul upon their 50th anniversary, to encourage people to approach the couple and ask them for their secret to a long, happy marriage. I have yet to find a couple that did not cherish the opportunity to share their valuable life lessons with anyone who asked.
This practice recently became very personal to me since, this past August, my...Read more...
Escape the Trap
11/30/2020 09:29:42 AM
We are all familiar with the story of a group of construction workers who ate lunch together every day. As they took out their lunches, one of the workers would groan, “peanut butter and jelly- again!”. This went on day after day, until one of his friends turned to him and said, “if you don't like peanut butter and jelly, why don't you just tell your wife you don't like peanut butter and jelly?!!” His reply:...Read more...
I Am Not Afraid of Coronavirus
11/24/2020 01:57:16 PM
Please do not misunderstand the title of this article. Covid-19 is highly contagious, and it has caused millions of deaths, illnesses and misery around the globe. I know how dangerous the virus can be. But it is not the virus that I fear.
Yes, these tiny pathogens that can be deadly, and in response the world has changed everything: how we work, how we shop, how we live. For some, the fear of the pandemic has been...Read more...