Rabbi Arthur Weiner

I tend to follow current events with more than just a fleeting curiosity.   Those who read my Shabbat messages regularly know that my observations of both local and national issues often form the core of these messages.   I try to use the issues that we read about and think about to teach Jewish values, and prioritize Jewish concerns.   My goal is to encourage you to understand the wisdom that our Judaism offers in these situations.   Lately, I have been thinking about the often acrimonious debates that characterize the political culture of our great nation, and how they influence the tenor of negotiations about some of the critical issues of our time.   These negotiations might help us understand a significant part of this week’s Torah reading of Parshat Bo . Moses and Pharaoh are locked in conflict.   It’s not just a battle of wits or personality (although there is plenty of that), but rather of world view.   Pharaoh represents death, hierarchy a...

Every day, the news will include at least one if not many stories about elected officials doing something that just doesn't look right. There may be a perfectly logical, or exceedingly convoluted explanation for the action or behavior. Yet still, it just doesn't look right, undermining confidence in our leaders, as well as the agencies and mechanisms that are meant to provide oversight of their behavior in the first place. So yesterday it was President Biden, refusing to answer questions about classified documents found in his garage. The previous day it was a member of congress who seems to have used campaign funds for personal use. Some months ago, another elected official was photographed standing particularly close to a woman who was not his wife. Again, there may be perfectly good explanations for all this. Rabbinic literature is filled with warnings about not jumping to conclusions. But until the blessed day that the Messiah arrives, (may He come speedily in our time!...

For decades, our synagogue has given several gifts to young men and women in our congregation celebrating their B'nai Mitzvah , including a siddur , our prayer book, and a Tanach . Tanach is an acronym for the Hebrew Bible, containing the works of the T orah, the N evi'im (The Prophets), and K 'tuvim (The Writings). When we give our young people the siddur , we tell them that if it ever wears out, we will give them a new one. During my 26 years here, more than a few have taken us up on this offer!      When I give them the Tanach however, I always say to them that of all the gifts that they will receive for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah , this is the one that I hope they will use most often and will mean the most to them. After all, the Tanach is the foundational work of Judaism, containing our history and origins, the importance of monotheism, and the 613 mitzvot that are the basis for all Jewish law and observance. Now fast forward to earlier this week. Jared Poli...

Several weeks ago, I wrote a Shabbat message to the congregation, explaining how important it was to make decisions about funeral arrangements. I talked about the importance of buying graves in your lifetime, and not placing the burden of such decisions, as well as their associated costs on your survivors and loved ones. That column must have struck a responsive chord. It was one of the most widely read Shabbat messages the year. By the way, I also reminded my readers that the best, as well as the least expensive option was to purchase graves from the synagogue. So for those who read the message, but were not inspired to actually go ahead and purchase graves, I once again recommend you contact the synagogue office to discuss the various options. Upon reflection, I realize that my Shabbat message depended on the shared assumption that a traditional, in-ground burial was the best, and for all intents and purposes, the only option.  Sadly, that assumption is not as widely shared...