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From Yankee Stadium to the Garden of Eden

Wednesday night’s playoff game was not only a bitter loss for the Yankees and millions of fans everywhere, but an unexpected source of sermonic ideas that deal with living the kind of life we prayed to achieve on the High Holidays. In the sixth inning, Anthony Volpe hit what initially appeared to be a two-run home run that would have tied the game. Yankee Stadium erupted. Unfortunately, a fan reached over the outfield wall and interfered with the ball. After reviewing the play, the officials determined that it would have remained in the ballpark. The home run became a double. One run scored instead of two. The Yankees eventually lost, 4–3, and their season was over. Now for Yankees fans, there was plenty to be unhappy about. But what interested me most was manager Aaron Boone’s response afterward. “I thought they got it right.” This is not the sentence you generally expect from someone whose season has just ended. Usually, this is an excellent opportunity to question the umpires’ e...
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We Do Not Endorse Political Candidates. But We Wholeheartedly and 100% Endorse Voting

I pride myself on writing an original Shabbat message to our synagogue family and community each week. But occasionally I come across a message from our broader Jewish community that I believe is important to share. This is one of those weeks. It is about our responsibility to vote in the upcoming elections. As a matter of federal law, and synagogue policy, the JCCP/CBT does not endorse political candidates. But we wholeheartedly and 100% endorse voting. I hope you will read the following message from our Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, encouraging every eligible member of our community to vote. *         *         *         On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, New Jerseyans will cast ballots in federal, county, municipal, school board, and other local elections. Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey encourages every eligible member of our community to make their vo...
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Not Perfect. Still Remarkable. The Abraham Accords Six Years Later

Six years ago this month, something remarkable happened in the Middle East. On September 15, 2020, representatives of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain gathered at the White House to sign what became known as the Abraham Accords. A few months later, Morocco joined the process, as did Sudan. For the first time in a quarter century, Arab nations were establishing formal relations with the State of Israel. At the time, I wrote to our congregation about what an extraordinary development this was. I wrote about it again a year later. And now six years have passed. The anniversary deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated.   Not because everything has gone according to plan. Quite the contrary. Think of what these agreements have been required to survive. October 7 th , and the terrible war that followed. The enormous suffering and political turmoil throughout the region. The deterioration of Israel's relations with much of the international community. War involving Iran an...
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If Your Father is the King, What Does That Make You?

One of the most familiar prayers of the High Holiday season is Avinu Malkeinu — “Our Father, our King.” The words are so familiar that we can easily say them without stopping to consider what they actually mean. Avinu — our Father. Malkeinu — our King. We speak of God in two very different ways. God is close to us, like a parent. But God is also sovereign, and   commanding, like a King. And if God is our Father and our King, then what does that make you? About 20 years ago, I read a story that challenged me to think about that question in ways I had never considered before. It was about a woman named Sarah Jane Culberson , who discovered the answer to that question in a way that few people ever will. Sarah had been adopted as a baby and raised in West Virginia. She knew very little about her biological parents. For years she wondered where she had come from and who they had been. Finally, when she was twenty-eight years old, she decided to search for her biological fathe...
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Whose Words Should We Take Seriously?

One of the most heartbreaking stories in the news these past two weeks has been the publication of new details surrounding the kidnapping and presumed murder of the mother of television journalist Savannah Guthrie. Like millions of Americans, I have followed the story with sadness. I have no interest in second-guessing the investigation itself. I am not a criminologist, nor am I a law enforcement professional, and it would be inappropriate for me to pretend otherwise. What caught my attention, however, was something entirely different. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal , Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos responded to criticism of his department's handling of the investigation by suggesting that some of his earlier public statements had been taken more literally than he intended. That observation stopped me in my tracks. If not the sheriff's words, whose words are we supposed to take seriously? After all, a sheriff occupies a position of public trust. When...
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Six Days After the Saddest Day of the Year

When I speak to our synagogue on Shabbat, or send Shabbat messages to the community, I don’t often dwell on the haftarahs , the sections from the Prophets that we append to each of our weekly and holiday Torah readings.   But the haftarah we recited last Shabbat morning, and those we will recite over the next six weeks, teach us something important.   They remind us that this period in the calendar, from the observance of Tisha B’Av to Rosh Hashanah can and should be understood as the pre-High Holiday period.   Normally, we think of Elul , the Hebrew month that precedes Rosh Hashanah, as being the official beginning the High Holiday season.   But the entire season needs to be understood in this context as well.   The three weeks that preceded Tisha B’Av are known as “The Three Weeks of Rebuke.”   Liturgically, we prepared for Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year , with three special haftarahs read on each of the three Shabbats that precede Ti...
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Remembering Those Who Stand Watch

Every Friday evening, before we conclude our Kabbalat Shabbat service, I offer a prayer for the health, safety, and speedy return of the members of the United States Armed Forces serving throughout the world. I've done so during times of war. I've done so during times of peace. And I've done so for many years. Most synagogues don’t. Some of you may have wondered why. Part of the answer is personal. Years ago, I served as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve from 1984 -1991. My time in uniform was one of the great educational experiences of my life. While I would never claim to know what it is like to serve in combat, I learned enough about military life, deployment, and sacrifice to understand that the men and women who wear our nation's uniform carry burdens that most Americans will never experience. But there is another reason I continue to offer that prayer every week. When I was growing up, almost everyone knew someone knew someone who was serving or...
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