by Rabbi Misha

Some words from our Resident Scholar, Dr. Lizzie Berne DeGear.

by Rabbi Misha

"In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out;  but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels."

by Rabbi Misha

Whenever I hear stories from my polyamorist friends I feel a combination of admiration, jealousy and gratitude.

by Rabbi Misha

Purim conjures the best and worst memories. Ridiculous feasts, family gatherings, insane Jerusalem karaoke parties, drunken laughter, silly costume duos with friends, moments of the deepest honesty and most liberated dancing.

by Rabbi Misha

One of my teachers toward ordination was a Hasidic drummer who went by Reb Dovid. Studying Talmud with him, which I was lucky enough to do weekly for seven good years, was a careful text study of ideas in the form of a whirlwind of thought.

by Rabbi Misha

Before I left my house last Sunday to participate in the weekly demonstration against the legal overhaul that would demolish the separation of powers in Israel, I debated what symbol or slogan to bring.

by Rabbi Misha

Rabbi David of Lelov was frustrated. He had devoted his life to matters of spirit. He ignored the talk of the town, the news and gossip, and instead focused on eternal matters.

by Rabbi Misha

“A man cannot live without a steady faith in something indestructible within him, though both the faith and the indestructible thing may remain permanently concealed from him. One of the forms of this concealment is the belief in a personal god.” 

by Rabbi Misha

“This is what human beings can do,” it whispers. “Be scared.” “Be brave.” “Be grateful.” “Be Jewish.” “Take words seriously.” “Care.” “Act.” “Remember.” Different whispers at different moments, different commands to different people. 

by Rabbi Misha

"I’d like to speak the blessings in the feminine,” Ella told me. “What would that be in Hebrew?” 

by Rabbi Misha

Ezra Klein’s wonderful interview with Judith Shulevitz about her book The Sabbath World, which I suspect many of you have listened to (and if you haven’t you should) reminded me of a task I had promised myself to complete a few years ago and never did.

by Rabbi Misha

יושב בסתר עליון בצל שדי יתלונן
The highest sits in hiding,
resting in the shade of the Goddess. 

by Rabbi Misha

Happy 2023!

by Rabbi Misha

The way we tell the Hanukkah story has the power to shape how the next generation will think about Judaism. It’s been told in many different ways, with the emphasis changing from one generation to the next to fit the political needs, philosophical spirit and general zeitgeist of the times.

by Rabbi Misha

“We have to learn to speak Jewish,” said the activist rabbi.  

by Rabbi Misha

The Miles Davis Quintet playing All Blues, which we're going to hear this evening to the words of the Friday evening Psalm, "Shiru L'Adonai Shir Chadash."

by Rabbi Misha

Two years ago, a guest at our Shabbat service from Women for Afghan Women, Nilab Nusrat shared with us memories of how back in Afghanistan, her father used to invite poor people into their home for dinner.

by Rabbi Misha

I try to avoid electoral politics in my writing. I’m not a political authority of any type. But this week’s election in Israel carries both cultural and spiritual messages that are relevant to American Jews, and offer lessons for Americans in general.

by Rabbi Misha

There are those moments in which the words slip out. You didn't mean to say what you said but had every intention of saying it differently.

by Rabbi Misha

If you were a biblical translator but your Hebrew was hit or miss you might translate the sixth and seventh verses of the Torah as follows: