Rabbi Arthur Weiner

I recently received an email from a Rabbinical organization, urging members to support their annual appeal. The email ended with the statement "We are aiming for 100% participation from the membership." I liked the message, and I liked the approach. I also thought that it would be a great way to talk about the mitzvah of selling our chametz before Passover. Each year, I try to come up with a new way to talk about why this simple and easy step is so important to our observance of Passover. I also want to send the message to every member of the community that we too are aiming for 100% participation. Understanding the Sale of Chametz: A Key Mitzvah for Passover We encourage you to sell your chametz. Each year, we send out the Sale of Chametz forms for you to return to the synagogue. Here is the link to the synagogue website where you can download the form right now! Alternatively, it will be included in the annual Passover bulletin that will be mailed to the congregation...

Six years ago, I publicly called for the resignation of then Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino after he made a series of racist comments . Although he later acknowledged and apologized for his words—and despite his otherwise distinguished 47 year career in law enforcement—this lapse in judgment and leadership could not be overlooked. Within a few days of those comments becoming public, he resigned. I made that call with a heavy heart. On one hand, I recognized that Sheriff Saudino had provided exceptional service to our community; his leadership was instrumental during a time of crisis. In January 2012, when the JCCP/CBT, was among five synagogues in Bergen County attacked by arsonists, law enforcement at every level—Paramus Police, the FBI, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the NJ State Police, and especially the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department—rallied behind our community. It was Sheriff Saudino who personally met with Jewish communal leaders and addressed our concern...

Purim begins tonight. Let me wish you a Purim Sameach , a happy and joyous Purim. We know that Purim is supposed to be a fun filled holiday.   Purim is characterized by behaviors, antics, and observances that at times seem almost silly.   Dressing in costumes, shaking groggers, making noise, even drinking (in moderation!!!) are all part of the traditions.   Yet Purim also has a serious side to it that is worth considering.   There are four specific Mitzvot (commandments) associated with Purim that I would like to share with you in this message. I hope that you will think about them, understand them, and observe them during Purim this year. Reading the Megillah ( Kriyat Megillah ): The first mitzvah of Purim is hearing the reading of the Megillah , the Scroll of Esther. Jews are to be present for the reading of Megillat Esther, to hear the story of the great victory of our ancestors, and to help eradicate the name of Haman and the evil he represents from our wor...

As Jews living in the diaspora, we spend a lot of time thinking about and supporting Israel from afar. But every five years, we have a chance to make an actual difference, and to assert our influence in our Jewish homeland through participation in the elections for the World Zionist Congress . At this pivotal moment in Israel’s history, it’s critical that our voices as American Jews who care about Israel’s future are heard. The World Zionist Congress (WZC), founded by Theodore Herzl in 1897, is the only democratic body with representatives from all of world Jewry. In these elections, Diaspora Jews like us not only have a voice, but a vote! The World Zionist Congress (WZC) is an international body made up of Jews and Jewish organizations from Israel and throughout the world.   It determines the priorities and policies of the four so-called “National Institutions” under its auspices: the World Zionist Organization (WZO), The Jewish National Fund, The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAF...

In the landmark decision Roe v. Wade of 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the “concept of liberty” guaranteed by the 14th amendment included a woman’s qualified right to terminate her pregnancy. This landmark decision struck down dozens of state abortion restrictions across the country. For almost five decades, the right to terminate a pregnancy was a protected constitutional right that could be regulated or prohibited by state law only when the fetus became viable.  49 years later, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade . Its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization gave individual states the power to regulate abortion. They ruled that abortion is not a constitutional right, and additionally ruled that it is not a fundamental right implied by the Constitution. The practical effect was a dismantling of almost 50 years of precedent protecting the constitutional right to abortion in the United States. Since the Dobbs case, 14 states hav...