Dvar Torah
Parshat Korach
(Zalman)
Gut Shabbos! This weeks parsha is Korach, an interesting interlude in all the rebellions against Moshe or God or order in the Book of במדבר . Korach, along with Datan and Abiram, or parallel to their rebellion, challenges Moshe’s authority. Why is Moshe in charge when all the people are holy, Am Kadosh and Momlechet ( Read more... )

I went on Wednesday to see Soul Doctor, a musical about the life of Shlomo Carlebach.   I was planning to see it after the holidays which only ended last week, but then heard it was going to close this coming weekend, so I  thought I should go to the matinee that day.   The reviews had been mediocre and had led me not to expect much, so I was ( Read more... )

On Thursday evening I went to the Abraham Joshua Heschel School and heard a lecture by Arthur Green titled “What Heschel Learned From Hasidism.”  Green was a close student of Heschel when he was a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in the 1960s.  It was a brilliant talk, though I thought I would share what I managed to take down ( Read more... )

Post Kallah

We had picked up a rental car on Friday.  After I turned in the van, we drove back to Culver City and checked into our hotel for two nights. We then met our old friend Susan Lindau at the Inn of the Seventh Ray, a place that was a favorite romantic rendezvous for P and me when we lived in LA 30+ years ago.  Still a lovely place, ( Read more... )

Prelude

The Aleph Kallah was held in Redlands, CA,  June 27-July 3, 2011. 
( Read more... )

My daughter, Alizette, celebrated her bat mitzvah at Park Slope Jewish Center last week, June 4.
She did a great job, learning material that was difficult for her and presenting it with poise and panache.

I want to acknowledge and appreciate both her tutor, Helene Santo, and Rabbi Carie Carter who worked with her to create this dvar torah.

Several ( Read more... )

There has been a lot of talk about the Islamic Center (sort of like an Islamic version of a Jewish Community Center, if you take a serious look at what is proposed) "at Ground Zero", aka the World Trade Center site.

I thought I should share the photo I took yesterday after the demonstration by rabbis and other Jews in favor of the Center.


( Read more... )

A couple of weeks ago there was an evening at the Jewish Theological Seminary in honor of my teacher Rabbi Neil Gillman on the occasion of his retirement.  Since there was another event for that a year or two ago, I’m not sure exactly what the occasion was.  I think the first time was his retirement from full time faculty status, and this from ( Read more... )

This past Sunday the New Israel Fund held a Town Hall in Bnai Jeshurun in New York entitled LEFT AND "RIGHT": VISIONS OF SOCIAL CHANGE IN ISRAEL.  The speakers were Avrum Burg, former speaker of the Knesset; Naomi Chazan, former Meretz MK and president of NIF; Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel; and Daniel Sokatch, new CEO of NIF.  ( Read more... )

Wednesday, the last day (actually half day) of OHALAH was mostly the time for Reb Zalman to speak to the chevre.  First there was a wonderful, intense and spiritual morning service led by R. David Ingber.  This raised us to a high level to receive what Reb Z was going to share.

I know these notes are not a complete account of this talk, both because ( Read more... )