The Jewish Case For Rent Stabilization
When I go to rallies and marches for progressive social change, I often hear the phrase chanted “Housing is a human right!” and I wonder to myself – what does […]
Parenting By Parsha: Bereshit
My first thought when I finished reading this week’s portion was, “Wow, that was a lot.” In one Torah portion, the Bible takes us through two iterations of the creation […]
Parenting By Parsha: Chol HaMoed Sukkot
Tdhis week’s Torah portion is a throwback — way back to Exodus, when the Israelites were about to receive the Torah at Mt. Sinai. This seems a little strange. What […]
Rosh Hashanah with a Persian Twist
As an American with both Persian and Jewish roots, I have the privilege of celebrating new beginnings three times each year on New’s Year’s Eve, Nowruz, and Rosh Hashanah, marking […]
Parenting By Parsha: Vayeilech
This week’s Torah portion is short and sweet — just one chapter of the book of Deuteronomy — which suits me just fine. Who has time to be reading long […]
Living A Fully Jewish Life
Six months after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed and six wounded, I sat in a Twin Cities synagogue with my family. We […]
I’m Sorry: The Importance Of Tashlich
All of us need to apologize from time to time. I love that Judaism has a compelling and tangible ritual of personal accountability, each year during Rosh Hashannah. Our family […]
When School And Work Collide With The Holidays
I have been in school basically my whole life, first as a student, then as a teacher, now as a professor. Every year (except for when I taught at a […]
Twistees, Technology, and T’shuva: An Elul Reflection
A new word has entered our popular lexicon courtesy of the Olympics and Simon Biles: a twistee. A twistee occurs when a gymnast experiences a lack of alignment between their […]
More Than A High Holiday Mailer
I just spent two hours with my synagogue’s High Holiday guide which arrived in the mail last week. Two. Hours. Longer than any Pottery Barn catalog I’ve memorized, and I’ve […]