On the occasion of Seth Rich's z"l 3rd Yahrzeit I had the honor being at Ramah as his friends and family dedicated a "roofball" court in his honor. Seth along with his friends at Ramah invented the game and the court will serve as a living memorial for years to come. As a tribute to Seth and his family, I wanted to share my eulogy which included remarks from a number of his friends and family.   Seth Conrad Rich  Our tradition teaches us to have hope in our darkest hours … [Read more...]

From time to time folks tend to ask what I am reading. With summer upon us, I figured I would throw out a few books that I have enjoyed over the past few months. "The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life" by David Brooks - I am currently in the midst of finishing this book up, but have had an extremely hard time putting it down. I also encourage you to listen to the 92nd Street Y Podcast where David Brooks talks about the book.   "Faith or Fear: How Jews Can Survive in a … [Read more...]

Honorable Senator Ben Sasse, Last week you went to the floor of the Senate, our nation’s greatest deliberative body, and spoke out about Pro-Abortion Extremism. I support your position to be Pro-Life. You have every right, as a father, husband, and US Senator, to let your faith guide your life and decision-making. As an observant Jew who has studied the same Bible as you, as well as a wide scope of rabbinic commentaries, I see the abortion debate from a very different angle. Why is my … [Read more...]

This week we read one of my favorite stories in the Bible — the story of the twelve ‘spies' Moses sends to explore the Land of Israel. The task of these scouts is to determine if the land is habitable, is there food and water, are there people currently residing on the land, and more. While there are plenty of stories in the Torah that relate to modern day life, this story has always stood out for its timely relevance. It has always struck me that before the expedition takes place, we are told … [Read more...]

This evening, I had the pleasure of reading a bedtime story to my kids. Naama chose "Pavel And The Tree Army" by Heidi Smith Hyde (Author), Elisa Vavouri (Illustrator) which was sent to PJ Library Families in January 2019. The story follows the life of Pavel and his friend Anatoly, immigrants who came to America seeking a better life. These two men left their homes to take part in one of FDR's greatest achievements, the Civilian Conservation Corp. While the Corp planted trees as well as built … [Read more...]

I was on a flight today to San Diego for a family Simcha (brit).  In rabbinical school, a professor once explained that if the person sitting next to you on the plane, train or bus asks what you do and you are not in the mood to chat, look down at your shoes and say you are an actuary. I will admit that I have never tried this trick, too nervous that the person asking will turn out to be an actuary and want to chat, which brings me to Monday night. On my flight returning to Omaha, the … [Read more...]

This Shabbat we read Parshat Beha'alotcha. At the heart of the Torah, reading is the explanation of Pesach Sheni (or Second Passover). You may be asking yourselves, wait - we have to do that a second time? When the Temple stood, there were many reasons that people may not have been able to make it to Jerusalem to offer the Passover sacrifice. Regardless of the reason, Judaism created a make-up date, 14 Iyyar (one full month after Passover 14 Nissan) or Pesach Sheni, a second chance to bring the … [Read more...]

Over a decade ago Rabbi Paul Drazen z"l was looking for ways to attract more members to come to synagogue and more specifically be willing to take an aliyah (honor of being called to the Torah) on Shabbat morning. Rabbi Drazen along with the ritual committee instituted a policy of having the 5th Aliyah being specifically for those celebrating a Simcha (happy occasion) a birthday, anniversary, going or returning from a long trip, etc. Following the aliyah, the clergy would say a misheberach … [Read more...]

On Friday night I had the honor of speaking at B'nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs, IA. The synagogue is beautiful, and I am incredibly thankful for the invitation from their leadership to teach. B'nai Israel is the only remaining synagogue in Council Bluffs; you can learn more about B'nai Israel at  Facebook Events or Wikipedia Article The topic for the evening was "Judaism - Open Space vs. Brick and Mortar." For quick definitions, I understand "open space" as programming or experiences … [Read more...]

For the past eight years, I have encouraged many families to send their children to Jewish summer camp. In those conversations I tried my best to explain the incredible benefits of spending a summer away from mom and dad, a summer spent making friends that will last a lifetime, a summer where Judaism seeps into your pores through osmosis. This has been the story I have told "other" people, as my kids were too young to attend sleep-away camp, that all changes on Sunday. No longer am I just the … [Read more...]