mstreiffer

The Next Jew Thang…

Last week, Rabbi Niles Goldstein – author of Gonzo Judaism and The Challenge of the Soul – spoke here at Shabbat services. He spoke about the importance of “being grounded,” using Picasso and Miles Davis as examples. As he writes in The Challenge of the Soul (p. 60): Pablo Picasso learned how to draw conventionalContinue reading “The Next Jew Thang…”

Whose Kotel is it Anyway?

JTA and Haaretz are reporting that as of last Thursday, Israeli citizenship ceremonies for new immigrants will no longer be held at the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem. This is in keeping with a demand from the rabbi of the Wall that mixed-gender ceremonies may not be held in the vicinity of the site. TheContinue reading “Whose Kotel is it Anyway?”

2009 High Holiday Sermons

Here are my sermons from the Yamim Nora’im this year. Rosh Hashanah is entitled “Starting with the Man in the Mirror.” Yom Kippur is “Judaism and the Health Care Crisis.” Happy New Year – שנה טובה – to all!

Wiki-Judaism (as opposed to Wookie-Judaism)

This week I got a text from someone: <<What is the difference between the Torah and the Talmud?>> I wrote back: <<More than you can explain in a 2-line text…>> In some ways, texting may be the antithesis of Talmud – since the idea behind texting is to get your point across as succinctly asContinue reading “Wiki-Judaism (as opposed to Wookie-Judaism)”