Rabbi Arthur Weiner

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died last Sunday after a long illness. Immediately upon the news of his death, tributes from both Republicans and Democrats poured in, as did praise from world leaders. Even Donald Trump, who in 2019 called Carter "a good man but a terrible president," offered his praise and condolences. This Shabbat, I would like to dwell on several policies and decisions of the Carter years that directly impacted the Jewish community, and that continue to influence and even haunt us to this day. I have always believed that when talking about controversial political figures, Rabbis and Jewish communal leaders must be scrupulously and unflinchingly fair. So let me begin with some decisions and policies of the Carter administration that would prove to be of tremendous benefit to the Jewish community in the United States and throughout the world. It is important to begin with these significant achievements for two reasons. The first is th...

  Too often, Chanukah is described as a “minor” holiday.   As a Rabbi and a student of Jewish texts, history, and tradition, I understand what is meant by that.   Yet by the standard definition of the word minor , Chanukah most definitely does not fit that category.   According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary , minor is defined as not very important or valuable.   That’s a funny way to describe a holiday with wide appeal both in Jewish and secular culture, and that rivals Passover as the most observed Jewish holiday.   That’s a strange way to describe a holiday that Jews know more about than most other holidays in our calendar.    So what do we actually mean when we, or others, refer to Chanukah as a minor holiday?   We have two types of holidays.   The first type are the Biblically ordained holidays.   Most of our holidays fall into this category.   They include the great fall festivals of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippu...

With all the fast moving developments in Washington, the Middle East, and in Israel, I wanted to make sure that the members of the congregation and community are aware of the recent passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA authorizes the Pentagon to spend money for a variety of critical military programs as well as establish critical national defense priorities. This year's NDAA again provides a tremendous benefit to Israel's national defense as well as a series of important joint US-Israel programs. It will authorize more than $627 million for critical programs, demonstrating bipartisan commitment to Israel's security needs as well as maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge ( QME ). The NDAA passed the House last week, the Senate yesterday and will soon be signed into law. Let's take a look at some of its more significant provisions. The NDAA contains $500 million for US-Israel missile defense collaboration on important d...

It wasn't the biggest story from the world of sports this week, (that would be the $765 million contract signed by Juan Soto with the New York Mets) but it was the one that dovetailed nicely with an important story at the beginning of this week's Torah reading of Parshat VaYishlach . Returning to the land of Israel after 20 years of exile in Haran, Jacob must now prepare for his reunion with his brother Esau. A generation earlier, Jacob conspired to steal the unique blessing that normally would have been given to Esau, the eldest of Isaac and Rebecca's sons. When Esau learned of this trickery, he vowed to kill Jacob. That's why Jacob literally left the country. And now, after 20 difficult yet prosperous years, Jacob must return to the land of Israel. How would his brother greet him? Jacob certainly has reason to worry. But when the fateful encounter takes place, there is no violence. While it is unlikely they spent much time together after this encounter, each of them...

Presidential pardons, a feature of presidential power outlined in Article ll of the Constitution, have a long and controversial history. Alexander Hamilton advocated for their importance and necessity in the Federalist Papers. Yet many who supported the ratification of the Constitution almost voted against it because of this unique power. Is a president able to undo the outcome of the judicial process? The answer is an unequivocal yes, when it comes to federal crimes, but lacks the power with regard to state crimes. He (or she) also lacks the power to pardon for impeachable offenses, and we may yet face a constitutional crisis in the next administration over whether this can be extended to a self pardon. What is also clear is that the president, other than these few qualifications, is free to pardon, commute, or reprieve without explanation or justification to Congress or the American people. Almost all presidential pardons are met with concern, skepticism, and controversy. George ...

As a general rule, I like to write about things that I know something about. But this Shabbat, I want to share some thoughts and ideas on a subject that I really don't know enough about. It's an important issue that has received a great deal of attention in recent years. It has become an issue in our schools, in our public spaces, in our nation's culture wars, and even became an issue in the campaign that was likely more significant than many people realized. The issue is the rights of transgender people. So many people have thoughts about this, and they feel compelled, entitled, and competent to render opinions on this subject. I don't. And it's not for lack of care or concern for the rights and dignity of the transgender community, or individuals who are struggling with their self-definition and gender identity. I believe strongly that there are complex, scientific, social, cultural and yes religious dimensions to this question. That's why I do not talk abou...