By Rabbi Josh Weinberg Friday, October 1, 2021 – כ”ה בתשרי תשפ”ב וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכׇל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the […]
By Rabbi Josh Weinberg Friday September 24, 2021 – י”ח תשרי תשפ”ב “תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹּא תְּקַלְקֵל וְתַחְרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ, אֵין מִי שֶׁיְּתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ.” (קהלת רבה ז:י”ג) “See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.” (Kohelet Rabbah […]
Friday September 17, 2021 – י”א תשרי תשפ”ב הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה וְתִשְׁמַ֥ע הָאָ֖רֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃ (דברים לב:א) Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter! (Deuteronomy 32:1) Yom Kippur is my favorite day in Israel. It’s a day that’s only possible in a Jewish State – as everything literally […]
Friday September 3, 2021 – כ”ו באלול תשפ”א Rosh Hashanah 5782 – ראש השנה תשפ”ב 5781 was a challenging year. As we come before God and our fellow human beings to bring in the New Year 5782, it is a time to think about relationships – relationships with our loved ones and friends, with colleagues, […]
Friday August 27, 2021 – י״ט אֱלוּל תשפ״א “וְעָנִ֨יתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ֜ לִפְנֵ֣י ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ אֲרַמִּי֙ אֹבֵ֣ד אָבִ֔י וַיֵּ֣רֶד מִצְרַ֔יְמָה וַיָּ֥גׇר שָׁ֖ם בִּמְתֵ֣י מְעָ֑ט וַֽיְהִי־שָׁ֕ם לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל עָצ֥וּם וָרָֽב׃” “You shall then recite as follows before Adonai your God: “My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but […]
“Zionism IS a Social Justice movement,” Rabbi Dick Hirsch would often say. And no one was more committed, and no one was more passionate about the confluence of Zionism, social justice, and Reform Judaism than Rabbi Richard G. Hirschז״ל. The world lost a giant this Tuesday with the passing of Rabbi Hirsch, just one month […]
Friday August 13, 2021 – ה’ באלול תשפ”א “If some of the American staff would take the time to talk to us and get to know us, they would find our mishlachat is quite politically diverse and most of us are on the left to far left. But we are all Zionists, we love our […]
Israel at Camp – Part II Friday, August 6, 2021 – כ”ח באב תשפ”א Walk into many Jewish camps and the visual images show that this space is different. There may be an Israeli flag; the paths may be labeled with improvised Israeli street signs; Hebrew might designate buildings. The idea is to establish a […]
Friday, July 30, 2021 – כ”א באב תשפ”א By Rabbi Josh Weinberg This summer thousands of our campers have returned to camp. We have returned to color wars and campfires. We are back to climbing Alpine Towers and drinking bug juice. We have figured out how to have large song sessions keeping ourselves distanced […]
By Rabbi Josh Weinberg July 23, 2021 – י”ד באב תשפ”א While much of this week’s attention has gone to Ben and Jerry, and where their ice cream will and will not be sold, a far more significant and alarming issue is brewing that we cannot ignore. In a recent poll by the Jewish Electorate […]
