Do you know the difference between a Jewish pessimist and a Jewish optimist? The Jewish pessimist says, “Things can’t possibly get any worse.” The Jewish optimist says, “Sure they can!” The 5784 year often felt that way to Jews everywhere. Last year is gone, and as a Sephardic prayer-poem… Read more »
As a Rabbi, I am often asked, “How do we know something was meant to happen?” And I always answer softly, “If… it happened.” There is a concept in Chassidic thought that teaches us about Divine Providence- “Hashgacha Pratis”. This belief underscores that G-d has a master plan for… Read more »
We are currently in the liminal time between the two holidays of Passover and Shavuot. During these seven weeks, we are counting the Omer. This period between Passover and Shavuot is not merely a calendar countdown; it can be a spiritual pilgrimage, a path of self-discovery and growth. The… Read more »
There he is, totally oblivious to what is about to happen. He is caught in the spotlight, bewildered, in his own world. The whole studio audience stands. Nicholas Winton, on the front row, has no idea until someone taps him on the shoulder and asks him to turn. Only… Read more »
Our time in this world is replete with activity, full of action, and fraught with responsibilities. Yet, there are not many things we do more in life than interact with those around us. As the day and age in which we live gets progressively more distant, those constant interactions… Read more »
During the past weeks in Torah time we have at last achieved our freedom from Egyptian slavery. But Moses’ demand was to let the people go so that they could worship YHVH in the wilderness. In other words, our freedom wasn’t for its own sake; we could now freely… Read more »
This article was originally published at Tucson.com. I’m writing this column to give an insight into what many Jewish people are going through. I don’t speak for all Jews, but I do speak for a sizeable swathe of my community. Since the Hamas massacre of Israelis on October 7,… Read more »
I was nervous about coming to Tucson because I knew I would be a co-rabbi with Rabbi Thomas Louchheim. He seemed nice at my interview weekend, but how would this work in practice?! Would it be awkward? Would it be unclear who had rabbinic authority? What would be the… Read more »
Rabbi Kleinman Growing up in Tucson, Alanna “Lonnie” Kleinman did not know any female rabbis or any religious leaders who identified as LGTBQ. Now Kleinman is joining a much more diverse rabbinate, one that more fully reflects the fullness of Jewish communities. On May 22, almost 50 years after Rabbi Sally… Read more »
On June 16th, in New York, Rabbi Cantor Emily Ellentuck received rabbinic ordination from The Rabbinical Academy at Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk. She serves as Cantor for Congregation M’Kor Hayim and works at Tucson Hebrew Academy as program coordinator and teaching Judaic Studies and tefillah.… Read more »
Rabbi Thomas A. Louchheim Background: I received both doses of the Moderna vaccine in March of this year. Just over two weeks ago I suffered a bad cold, and was asked to be tested. On the fourth day of my symptoms, I received a positive antigen test. Nine days into my quarantine, I… Read more »
Rabbi Dr. Scott Saulson Kol Ami is the “old-new” synagogue in town. After nearly two years of collaborative planning, we are emerging from and building on the legacies of Temple Emanu-El, founded in 1910, and of Congregation Or Chadash, founded in 1995. We envision “a home of joyful Judaism for all.” Indeed, we… Read more »
Rabbi Helen T. Cohn Jewish teaching makes it clear in the Torah and later writings that we have a special obligation to take care of the weakest members of society, referred to in Torah as “the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.” Thus in a sense the Torah recognizes that not all people… Read more »
Rabbi Dr. Scott Saulson Included in the gracious invitation from the Arizona Jewish Post to offer approximately 500 words to appear in the “Rabbi’s Corner” on a Jewish topic of my choice was the addendum that my words “may or may not be related to the weekly Torah portion.” In other words, no… Read more »
Rabbi Sara Metz
This past June, my family moved from New Jersey to Tucson. As we started unpacking and dreaming of our life here, we looked to our yard. We knew that the blessing of rain is scarce in this desert climate. For that reason, we have worked with people who know… Read more »
Rabbi Sam Cohon What does it mean to be able to really perceive, not just observe? How can we look at a troubled period and see not just the facts, but the meaning? As we enter a new secular year, how can we best learn to use the complicated mess of this… Read more »
Rabbi Thomas A. Louchheim There is no age and no situation where values do not play a part. Modernity has created a fire hose of information that often — without reflection — drives us to analyze the information from our own accustomed viewpoint. We are so rushed to decide that we leave our… Read more »
I find it increasingly difficult to understand how any religion or spiritual tradition can put itself at the center of the world and claim it has the only truth about creation and the Divine. The internet offers windows into all corners of the world. Interfaith dialogue among open-hearted people… Read more »
Many times we rely on life’s happenings to determine our mood and productivity rate. Life often throws us unexpected curved balls and it dampens our spirit. The truth is, negative does not always mean bad. The implications of implementing discipline can come across as negative, yet its core values… Read more »
Rabbi Helen T. Cohn I’ve been thinking about rain lately, and noticing the lack of it. Tucson had a big monsoon several months ago which revealed a slight leak in our roof. We think the leak was fixed, and I’ve been waiting ever since for another big rain to confirm that, but a… Read more »
