Women of the Wall – Rabbi Micah Streiffer

Causeless Hatred and the Jewish State: Have We Learned Our Lesson?

What, I’m not good enough to be blacklisted?? Those were the words with which I jokingly feigned righteous indignation last month when the Israeli rabbinate released its “blacklist” of rabbis from whom they will refuse letters of Jewishness for new immigrants. Others of my colleagues had similar amused responses: congratulating those who did make theContinue reading “Causeless Hatred and the Jewish State: Have We Learned Our Lesson?”

An Egalitarian Kotel

In the movie The Ten Commandments, Moses comes down the mountain with two tablets, containing the 10 laws that the Israelites are to follow. I love that movie. But it doesn’t tell the whole story. Jewish tradition tells says what happened at Sinai was far bigger than any 10 Commandments. It was even bigger thenContinue reading “An Egalitarian Kotel”

Combating Extremism: A Sermon for Pinchas 5775

Here is a video podcast of the sermon I delivered this past Shabbat on religious extremism.

Books, Bullies, Beit Shemesh: A Sermon for Parashat Bo

My two older sons recently did something very strange and surprising: they started reading a lot! The reason is that they found a book – or actually a series of books – that they really like. It’s called Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It’s a fictional, first-person account of something most of us would ratherContinue reading “Books, Bullies, Beit Shemesh: A Sermon for Parashat Bo”