Off the Pulpit: Bad Preaching

October 07, 2022

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

In the 15th century book Eine Haqore, Joseph ibn Shem Tov tells of a self-regarding preacher. He began by telling the congregation that his talk would be divided into three parts: the first both he and...

Person in the Parsha: Succot

October 06, 2022

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“FROM FEAR TO FESTIVITIES”

Fear and trembling.

Those have been our primary religious emotions during the past several weeks.

Although Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are referred to nowadays as the High Holidays,...

Off the Pulpit: Jewish Time

September 30, 2022

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

Jewish events are notorious for starting late. As The Zionist leader Nahum Goldmann once said, “I tried my whole life to come late to a Jewish meeting and never succeeded.”

Conversely, Jewish law depends upon precision...

Person in the Parsha: Shabbat Shuvah and Yom Kippur

September 23, 2022

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“DO YOU HEAR VOICES?”

Do you ever hear voices?

I do, especially at this time of year.

It is now the period of time between...

Off the Pulpit: Alone in the desert

September 23, 2022

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

The God of Israel became real to the Israelites in the desert. A seemingly barren world gave birth to a people and a mission.

To some however, the desert is not charged with meaning, but empty...

Person in the Parsha: Nitzavim

September 16, 2022

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“LESSONS OF EQUALITY”

For some time, certain ideas have dominated my consciousness. Don’t worry, these are not obsessive thoughts, and I am not a candidate for a psychiatric diagnosis....

Off the Pulpit: Brokenness

September 16, 2022

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

Why is it customary for a mourner to lead the prayer service? In his book Kaddish, Leon Wieseltier quotes Solomon Luria’s opinion that a mourner should lead because “the King of Kings prefers broken vessels.” This...

Person in the Parsha: Ki Tavo

September 09, 2022

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“WALLS HAVE EARS” 

We all have our secret lives.

I don’t mean to say that each of us has a sinister side, which we wickedly act out...

Off the Pulpit: Blessings and Curses

September 09, 2022

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

On Yom Kippur, the people of Sharon, a region subject to earthquakes, pleaded with God that their houses not become their graves. One way to understand this prayer is that our blessings not become our curses.

Person in the Parsha: Ki Teitzei

September 02, 2022

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“Words Can Never Harm Me?”

For many of us, the first pieces of wisdom which we learned were from nursery rhymes and schoolyard jingles. Sometimes these childish lessons had...