Terumah 5785: On My Honor
Regular readers will know that the Boy Scouts were a big part of life in my family growing up. My grandfather became an Eagle Scout in 1924. My father, two older brothers and I were all Eagle Scouts too. It was through Scouting that I learned formative lessons about life and leadership, camping and hiking, citizenship and first aid. But more than anything, I think Scouting helped instill in me a deep sense of duty and responsibility. "On my honor:" these are the opening words of the Scout Oath. Speaking them, an eleven-year old Tenderfoot is immediately confronted with a word that signifies an inner-directed sense of virtue. While honor can be related to shame, which has a...
Mishpatim 5785: Mufasa, The Lion Rabbi
It was cold on Presidents Day, and many of our friends had gone to warmer places for the long weekend. So my son Toby and I wound up at the movies. We saw "Mufasa," which tells the backstory to "The Lion King:" how the orphaned Mufasa (this is a Disney movie after all—gotta have your orphan story) is adopted by a new family and emerges into a great leader. Love, betrayal, all the the usual ingredients, including some new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (far from his best work, but fine). I'd give it a solid B. Despite the familiarity of the storyline, nevertheless I couldn't help but be moved when the stronger moral moments emerged: when characters showed great bravery, when homecoming finally...
Yitro 5785: The Vanishing Line
The beginning of this month marked five years since I began working at IJS. Half a decade later, I am grateful that I continue to wake up every day and get to do this amazing work with these amazing colleagues—including our professionals, our volunteer leaders, and the thousands of people who participate in our community in one way or another. That includes you, as a reader of these reflections....
Four Elements Meditation
As Tu BiShvat approaches, take a moment to reconnect with the earth—not just as a place we inhabit, but as the very essence of our being. In this guided meditation, Rabbi Sam Feinsmith invites us to explore the four elements within and around us, awakening a deeper sense of rootedness, flow, breath, and warmth. May this practice help us live in greater harmony with the world that is not separate...
Mindful Eating for Shvat
Eating is more than just nourishment—it’s an opportunity for mindfulness, gratitude, and connection. In this guided practice, Rebecca Schisler invites us to slow down, savor each bite, and honor the journey of our food from earth to plate. This Tu BiShvat, take a moment to bless, taste, and truly experience the gift of eating with presence and intention.
Beshallach 5785: Don’t Make It Worse, Make It Better—Maybe
I don't have much occasion to go in the backyard during the winter. For starters, January is pretty cold in Chicago, and the dog is perfectly fine if we just let her out the door to do her business and then run back in. But the other day it was a little warmer, and Phoebe seemed like she would enjoy playing fetch. So I bundled up and took her out. After a few rounds of catch and release with a...
Josh in Conversation with Andrés Spokoiny
We are grateful to Andrés Spokoiny for sharing his insights with us. Please enjoy the conversation recording.Andrés Spokoiny, CEO of the Jewish Funders Network, is a longtime Jewish communal leader with a history of leading successful organizational transformations. He served as the CEO of Federation CJA in Montreal and, prior to that, for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Community (JDC)...
Bo 5785: The Age of Unsurance
"Insurance is one of finance’s great gifts to mankind. Through the statistical magic of risk pooling, an individual can obtain peace of mind and protection against devastating loss." A perhaps unexpected opening sentence to a Shabbat reflection from yours truly. But the article it comes from, by Wall Street Journal writer Greg Ip, really grabbed my attention. I had always kind of assumed that,...
What a Week: Vaera 5785
What an intense week it has been. Yes, yes: I'll get to the new administration in a bit. But there was much more to this week too. For me, the week began with clearing out my mother's apartment and visiting her frequently, as we moved her into memory care. Not a simple thing, of course. It's definitely the right move for this moment in her life, and she is adjusting to it with her customary...
A Spiritual Ladder (Shemot 5785)
When I was a kid, in order to become an Eagle Scout you needed to earn 21 merit badges. Of those, some were required and some were elective. I remember my electives included things like ice skating and music (which were, conveniently, things I did anyway outside of Scouting). The required merit badges were things like First Aid (no surprise), Citizenship in the Community, Swimming and...
Tevet: Settling Amidst the Storm
While Kislev brought us into the darkest time of year and the holiday of Hanukkah, Tevet brings us out of Hanukkah, and moves us again towards longer, lighter days. The month of Tevet was originally named while the Jewish people were living in exile in Babylonia. “Tevet,” meaning “sinking” or “immersing,”¹, perhaps references the muddy swamp-like conditions that arose from heavy rains during the...
A Response to David Brooks (Hannukah 5785)
Dear friends, I heard from many people this week about The New York Times columnist David Brooks's essay, "The Shock of Faith." I won't speak for him (he does that for himself in 2,000 words). Nor do I really want to have a conversation about whether Brooks, who talks about his Jewish life, is really a Christian at this point (he deals with that a bit in the essay). Instead, I want to respond to...
Bring Them Home Now (Vayeshev 5785)
On Tuesday morning this week, I stood amidst the ruined homes of young members of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim overrun and decimated by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. These small apartments had provided a way for the kibbutz to help young people get their start in adult life. Their location, closest to the western fence of the kibbutz, made them the first line of attack....
Jewish Humor and Jewish Power (Vayishlach 5785)
Josh in Conversation with Joshua Leifer
We are grateful to Joshua Leifer for sharing his insights with us. Please enjoy the conversation recording.Joshua Leifer is a journalist, editor, and translator. His essays and reporting have appeared widely in international publications, including The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Haaretz, The Nation, and elsewhere. A member of the...
At Home in the Darkness
At this time of year, where I live in Toronto, the trees have shed almost all of their leaves and their branches stand bare against the grey sky. Day by day, the hours of sunlight shorten while darkness holds on longer to the mornings and rolls in earlier and earlier in the evenings. Overhead, skeins of Canada geese honk their way south, and I almost take their leaving personally, abandoning me...
Extracting the Hidden Light
As we enter the darkest season of the year, Jewish tradition teaches of the or haganuz, a hidden light revealed through presence and righteous acts. Legend says 36 hidden righteous ones—the Lamed Vavnikim—sustain the world. This Hanukkah, as we light 36 candles, we’re called to embody their spirit, revealing the light within ourselves and the world.
A Quiet Mind (Chayei Sarah 5785)
Many years ago, when my oldest son (now 21) was little, he asked for me to read him stories from a children's bible on our shelf. It had belonged to my wife as a kid, and I was excited that Jonah wanted to hear these stories. But of course it got complicated, because these stories are not, in fact, children's stories for the most part. They talk about some pretty adult topics. I particularly...
Josh in Conversation with Rabbi Adina Allen
We are grateful to Rabbi Adina Allen for sharing her insights with us. Please enjoy the conversation recording.Rabbi Adina Allen is a spiritual leader, author, and educator who grew up in an art studio where she learned firsthand the power of creativity for connecting to self and to the Sacred. She is cofounder and creative director of Jewish Studio Project (JSP), an organization that is seeding...
Responding to the Anxiety of Now: Vayera 5785
I was riding in a Lyft at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, en route to LAX to make a flight home in time for my son's 12th birthday party. My driver, a middle-aged African-American woman, asked me where I was headed. "Chicago." "Chicago?! Take me with you! That's where I'm from." "Oh, where in Chicago did you grow up?" She proceeded to name what felt like 25 different neighborhoods: First she...