"When a Rabbi Sins." Rabbi Artson's Address to the Ordinands at the 2022 Ordination Ceremony of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.
"When a Rabbi Sins." Rabbi Artson's Address to the Ordinands at the 2022 Ordination Ceremony of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.
Jewish dietary practices allow us to welcome the sacred into our daily lives and into mundane acts.
Each December, the blood pressure of the Jews of America rises.
Once a year, we feel like outsiders in our own country – bombarded by songs announcing the birth of the “king of Israel,” watching the seasonal eruption of good cheer and kindness (soon forgotten in the drunkenness of New Years,) returning home to unlit, treeless houses amidst the stirring color, smells, and lights of Christmas.
December can be a depressing time to be Jewish.
None of us are islands, separate from the river of life and love that makes us who we are. Instead, as Judaism reminds us, we are the shared effort of many who supported and loved us, and they remain with us in each breathe.
The genius of Judaism has linked two separate phases of turning: a spiritual return to our truest selves, and a physical return into our bodies, our world, and as Jews, to Israel. This double teshuvah, spiritual and physical, personal and centered on Zion, invites us home on every level.
After two days of Rosh Ha-Shanah and a day of fasting on Yom Kippur, you would think that Jews would be exhausted. Enough Judaism, already!
Yet at precisely that time, the calendar of Judaism presents a dazzling array of festivals--Sukkot, Hoshanah Rabbah, Sh'mini Atzeret, and Simhat Torah. For more than a week, we continue to celebrate one holiday after another, each with its own set of rituals, songs, and customs.
As we continue to find our way through a challenging time, Judaism offers us wisdom and focus to hold on to a realistic hope and time-tested resilience.
This week I participated in a Conservative Leadership Delegation to Israel to confer with Israel’s new President, cabinet ministers in the new coalition government, members of the Knesset from multiple political parties, and leadership of the Jewish Agency. I also spoke on two panels (with JTS’ chancellor and the CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly) on Tuesday evening and again on Wednesday night.