Shabbat Shalom! I hope this finds you well. Two American heroes who have very much informed and inspired my rabbinate, my military career, and indeed my life are Congressional Medal of Honor recipients US Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy (z”l) and US Army Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler (z”l). Murphy, a Navy SEAL, selflessly sacrificed his life in 2005 by exposing himself to overwhelming enemy fire in order to call in a rescue force after his reconnaissance team was discovered in the mountains of Afghanistan. Wheeler, an elite Delta Force operator, likewise made the ultimate sacrifice in 2015 while rescuing Iraqi hostages who were about to be executed by ISIS. For Murphy and Wheeler, their courageous feats that earned them both America’s highest medal for battlefield heroism, these were not stand alone events; rather they were indicative and reflective of noble lives spent in the service of others. Friends and family […]

Shabbat Shalom! I hope this finds you all well. Noah and the Ark – it’s objectively one of the most well-known stories of the Bible and the centerpiece of this week’s parsha (Genesis 6:9-11:32). As a refresher, humanity had become so evil and corrupted that God decided to flood the earth and destroy all life on it. The only exception was Noah and his family. God instructed Noah to build an Ark and to place on it not only him and his family, but also a male and female of every species, as well as sustenance for all of them. To fulfill this undertaking, the dimensions of the ark were understandably massive: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.[1]  According to the famous 12th century rabbi, the Rashbam, a cubit measures 22.68 inches.[2]  Therefore, with this determination in hand, the ark was a monumental 567 feet long, […]

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom! I hope this finds you all well. Growing up, I was always taught that Yamim Noraim – the Days of Awe consisted of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Then I was taught that it actually extended through Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. Then a few years later I was introduced to the month of Elul and its focus on mechina – spiritual preparation for the High Holy Days, so sure, it got tacked on, too. In Rabbi Alan Lew’s (z”l) famous masterpiece This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared, Rabbi Lew writes that the Days of Awe actually begins on Tisha B’Av- the saddest day of the Jewish calendar in which we mournfully recall the Destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, the lack of faith displayed by the twelve scouts in the Book of Deuteronomy, the Rhineland massacres, the expulsion of Jews […]

This Word of the Week is lovingly dedicated to the 20 Israeli hostages who were freed this week after two years of cruel and horrific Hamas captivity. Ken y’hi Ratzon, May God will it, now that they are back home in Israel with their families and loved ones by their side, may each of them live long, healthy lives and may they know only blessings, happiness, and peace the rest of their days! Stop and Smell the Roses Shabbat Shalom! I pray this finds you all well. The other day, my wife and I reflected on how quickly our 5+ years of marriage has flashed before our eyes. We’ve been through so much and accomplished so much together, but yet it feels like only yesterday that we stood under that beautiful chuppah, wrapped in a tallit, exchanging our sacred marital vows. Much to her chagrin (she’s the literal opposite of […]