September 2015

4 Reasons Why We Are All Listening to Pope Francis

From the middle to the end of last week, I was having conversations about Pope Francis’ speeches each and every day ...

Three Generations of Female Torah Readers

Three females — a 63-year-old, a 41-year-old, and an 11-year-old — have much in common. In addition to their blond, ...

Southern Hospitality, Southern Sukkah

When you live in the Deep South — and especially when you have to travel a lot for work — ...

3 Times a Year – THAT’S ALL!

Back in biblical times, Israelites would come to the great Temple three times a year, in the fall, and at ...

Small But Proud Jewish Communities

I grew up in a fairly small Jewish community. In the ’80s, Austin, Texas was not the cool mecca it ...

Focusing on the “Philo” in Philo-Semitism

Last week, Kveller, a partner site of MyJewishLearning, published a provocative piece about one woman’s experience being Jewish in the ...

What Are You Doing Tomorrow?

As a rabbi who is blessed with the humbling privilege of leading her congregation, after the High Holy Days have ...

The True, Smelly, Dirty, World of the Sukkah

Sukkot, which begins Sunday, is called by our sages, “The season of our rejoicing.” But why should we rejoice?Just this ...

Is Living in Jackson, Mississippi “Different”? Yes, It Is…

When I tell people that I live in Jackson, Mississippi, they often remark on how “different” it must be from ...

How I Ended Up Delivering the Sermon on Rosh Hashanah

Over the summer, Larry, the organizer of the minyan that I attend for Rosh Hashanah, sent out an email asking ...