Rabbi Matt Dreffin

Rabbi Matt Dreffin, MAJE, is Director of Education at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) in Jackson, Mississippi.


Articles by Rabbi Matt Dreffin

How Having a Baby Has Changed This Rabbi’s Blessings

This summer, my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world in Jackson, Mississippi. Ever since, the birth ...

No Sub For You: The Hardest Part of the Passover Pilgrimage

I’m a Florida native. I’ve been described as a fish, spending so much time in the water, swimming and splashing ...

Mensch Madness Game 3: Caro vs. Luria

What an exciting match-up we have today: Joseph Caro versus Isaac Luria. Two titans of Torah commentary, taking it to ...

Violating Someone Else’s Sabbath

I recently received an email from my local synagogue‘s Brotherhood, asking for volunteers to help with some much-needed upkeep work ...

How This “Running Rabbi” Found More Meaning in Miles

As a rabbi on staff at the ISJL, I travel around the South quite a bit. Recently, I had the ...

November is Jewish Book Month!

In honor of Jewish Book month, each ISJL Education Fellow submitted a list of his or her favorite Jewish authors for ...

Southern Hospitality, Southern Sukkah

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

Mensch Madness Game 5: Ram vs. Golden Calf!

Welcome back to Mensch Madness!Today’s game has a lot of media attention. We’ve all heard the hype about these two ...

“Is That A Cross On Your License Plate, Rabbi?”

“Um, Rabbi? Don’t you feel a little bit weird with a cross on the back of your car?”I fielded this ...

Mensch Madness, Round 2: Men’s Semi-Finals!

Get ready, sports fans! It’s time for Mensch Madness, Round 2, and the Men’s Semi-Finals with Moses (1) taking on ...