Rabbi Steven Abraham

There is a particular kind of heartbreak that does not come from shock—but from recognition. It is the heartbreak of watching a story unfold exactly as you feared it would—step for step, line for line—and being powerless to interrupt its trajectory. It is the grief not of uncertainty, but of prophecy fulfilled. The pain of knowing. And of being right. This week, in Boulder, Colorado, that heartbreak came crashing through the window—almost literally. A group of Jews gathered—not to … [Read more...]

This morning at Shabbat services, I had the privilege of listening to one of our high school students deliver the sermon in our synagogue. She had just returned from a semester-long program in Israel—a formative journey that left its mark not only on her, but on all of us who heard her speak. Her words were beautiful. Her delivery was poised. Her reflections were thoughtful, sincere, and deeply personal. But that wasn’t what moved me most. What stayed with me long after the service ended … [Read more...]

There is something startling about the Israelites’ memory in Sefer Bamidbar. No sooner do they find themselves in the discomfort of wilderness life—hungry, uncertain, and afraid—than they begin to long for the very place that enslaved them. “We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for free,” they say in Bamidbar 11:5, “the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” It is one of the more jarring moments in the Torah—not because it reveals weakness, but because it reveals … [Read more...]

This week, someone forwarded me a screenshot from a website called Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza. Big letters. Bold colors. A quote from the Shulchan Aruch—Jewish law: “If there’s a hungry person, one must feed them.”אם היה רעב יאכילוהו And splashed across the top:“The Torah is clear.” I’ll be honest: I am conflicted Because the Torah may be many things—ancient, holy, enduring—but rarely is it simple. Especially not today. Not when our … [Read more...]

The Book of Ruth begins with quiet devastation. Famine, exile, death. A woman named Naomi leaves her homeland in search of survival and returns years later with nothing—no husband, no sons, no future. Her name, which once meant “pleasant,” now feels like a cruel echo. “Don’t call me Naomi,” she says upon returning to Bethlehem. “Call me Mara”—bitterness. But in the wreckage of her story, another one begins. It’s easy to miss because it is so small, so intimate. Two women—her daughters-in-law, … [Read more...]

The Book of Ruth is deceptively quiet. It’s only four chapters long—no parting seas, no plagues, no prophets. But don’t be fooled by its calm. Ruth may be the most radical book in the Bible, not because of what it shouts, but because of what it dares to whisper. Ruth’s story begins in grief: famine, displacement, and death. But it pivots on something far more powerful—choice. Ruth, a Moabite widow, is bound to her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi not by obligation, but by love. When Naomi urges … [Read more...]

Sefer Bamidbar opens not with miracles, nor covenant, nor crisis—but with a count. Each tribe is summoned, each clan recorded. Every adult male is registered for service. At first glance, it is administrative and dry—a ledger at the heart of the Torah. But like so much in Torah, the surface conceals a deeper truth. This is not a census for census’s sake. It is not about power, taxation, or military dominance. It is about visibility. About dignity. About who matters. God commands Moses … [Read more...]

There is a famous teaching in the Talmud that the Torah was given in the wilderness. It’s a curious detail—of all the possible places God might choose to deliver divine wisdom, why the desert? Why not wait until the Israelites had reached the Promised Land? Why not give the Torah in Egypt, while the people were still crying out for justice, to give them a taste of liberation and hope? But God chooses neither comfort nor crisis. God chooses the in-between. The Torah is given not in a palace … [Read more...]

What if we started over?Not as a thought experiment. Not as a provocation.But as a moral imperative. Because after October 7, everything changed.The illusion of safety? Shattered.The fantasy of universal acceptance? Gone.Jews around the world looked to their institutions—for clarity, courage, leadership.What we got instead: silence. Delays. Draft statements.Fear of backlash overtook fear of abandonment. And yet—something stirred.Outside the boardrooms, Jews were waking up. Organizing. … [Read more...]

They chanted “Globalize the Intifada.” Some applauded. Others rationalized. Many remained silent. But we—those of us who know our history, who have read between the lines—knew exactly what was being summoned. Today, two Israeli embassy officials are dead, reportedly gunned down by an assailant shouting “Free Palestine.” This isn’t an isolated act of violence. It’s the chilling realization of a slogan too many in the West defended as metaphor. But it was never metaphor. It was a promise. We … [Read more...]