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1. Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas: Hanukkah and Christmas both occur near the winter solstice. They both feature light and gift-giving. Yet, they differ in their relative importance and religious messages. Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of Jewish survival in the face of foreign pressure. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. Hanukkah is relatively minor…

This past Friday we observed Veterans Day at my congregation. Several dozen veterans were joined by our youth choir, which sang America the Beautiful in gratitude and tribute. The past, present and future inspired one another. Also inspiring was a famous sermon we discussed. In 1945 a Jewish chaplain named Roland Gittelsohn accompanied a Marine…

In the Jewish Bible reading cycle, we just read about the first major leadership transition. Moses hands over the reins to Joshua, and he challenges him with a noble goal. “Be strong and of good courage!” As I was teaching this passage, someone asked about the meaning of courage. It is a word we use…

Forgiving others often involves struggle. As I wrote a few months ago, forgiveness does not necessarily mean condoning. Rather, it means accepting, moving on, and not holding your life hostage to the actions of another person. Does this same logic apply, however, to the actions of a public official? As one of my congregants recently…
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