Rabbi Arthur Weiner

Each year before Passover, the synagogue sends out a form asking you to sell your chametz . And each year, a predictable pattern emerges. Some people return the form immediately. Some people return it the night before Passover. Some people ignore it.  And some people discover the form three weeks after Passover and say, “Oh… was I supposed to send that in?” Let me reassure you: selling your chametz may be the easiest mitzvah you will perform all year. You don’t need special equipment. You don’t need to study a tractate of Talmud. You don’t even need to leave your house. All you need to do is sign the form. But behind this very simple step lies one of the most important obligations of Passover. What Is Chametz ? The Torah prohibits the eating of leaven during Passover (Exodus 12:15-20). Chametz refers to any food made from five grains—wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye—that has been allowed to rise. Matzah , of course, is made from those same grains—but without...

King Solomon states at the beginning of the Book of Ecclesiastes, “what is crooked will not be able to be straightened, and what is missing will not be able to be counted.”   As many of you know, I made my permanent move to Israel exactly 3 years ago, at the beginning of 2023.    Little did I, or most anyone else, fathom what would occur eight months after my arrival: the massacre of Simchat Torah 5783 on October 7.    But despite it being nearly 2 ½ years since that devastating day, and despite my hearing others speak, or reading of others recount their visits, I had personally never ventured down south to “The Otef”, the Gaza envelope, nor seen the site of the Nova festival where hundreds were massacred on that dreadful day. As I have lived my day to day life over these past 30 months, for the most part, life has gone on as normal, once the shock of October 7 began to fade.    Certainly there were various disruptions, and there were family membe...

This week, as our country reflects on the life of Rev. Jesse Jackson, much of what is being said is true and significant. He was a consequential figure in the civil rights movement, which, despite decades of ups and downs, and successes and failures, has reshaped American moral life. Jews, and Jewish organizations were also pillars of this movement, intentionally and deliberately so, because of our own history of being on the receiving end of  oppression and violence, and because its moral language resonated with our own. We have always believed that our covenant calls us to expand the moral life of the societies in which we live. We have marched. We have advocated. We have built coalitions. That engagement is something to be proud of. But Jewish memory is complicated. We are capable of holding gratitude and discomfort at the same time. That memory must be brought to bear when evaluating the often laudatory tributes that have dominated the narrative since his passing earlier ...

As I have mentioned over the years, I have never been a fan of “themed” Shabbats. The only exception I make to this policy is Religion and Science Weekend (formerly known as Evolution Weekend ), a project of the Clergy Letter Project, a community of thousands of American religious leaders concerned about the assault on science in many corners of American political and religious life. Religion and Science Weekend is an opportunity for serious discussion and reflection on the relationship between religion and science. The goal is to elevate the quality of discussion on this critical topic, and to demonstrate that religion and science are not adversaries. Rather, they look at the natural world from different perspectives and ask, and respond to, different questions. At a time when religion is all-too-often being equated with fundamentalism and when our nation is in a deep and troubling period of science-denialism in public life, it is critically important to engage this topic directly a...

Earlier this week, I received an email from a dear friend and colleague, one of the most prominent and influential Rabbis in the United States. It’s always wonderful to see the men and women with whom I studied during my years in Rabbinical school succeed in their careers, and lead their communities with such distinction. It is not uncommon for Rabbis and professional colleagues, or even your colleagues, associates, and friends to append their professional titles, accreditations, and the like to the bottom of their emails. Some add a graphic of some sort as well. Some people like to add a meaningful quote.  More and more, I see many people adding he/him/his or she/her/hers as a symbol of respect and solidarity to the LBGTQ community. But appended to the very bottom of this email was the following sentence: Mindful of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the first caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, South Channel Islands) Wait … what?  What is that all about? I nee...

Two weeks ago, my Shabbat message was entitled Dear Governor Murphy , Speaker Coughlin, and President Scutari: You Failed New Jersey’s Jews . In that message, I spoke with you about how New Jersey’s political leadership failed to bring the IHRA antisemitism definition bill to a vote, despite its broad bipartisan support in both the Assembly and the Senate. I also wanted you to see the public letter, signed by over 100 Rabbis serving communities throughout New Jersey, expressing our profound disappointment and outrage at that decision. Given the media attention that has surrounded the Rabbi's letter, the organizers of this campaign are now encouraging members of the general public to sign a similar letter. This new letter is directed to Governor Sherrill and the leadership of the NJ State Assembly, urging them to act without delay and pass this critical legislation. I am asking all those who read my Shabbat message to read the letter that follows carefully and if you agree ...