Religion

My dear wife recently gave birth to our daughter Mushka on July 23, bringing another blessing into our family and into the world. In honor of this joyous occasion, allow me to share some thoughts on the significance of having a child. Judaism places a...

“Follow your dream—you can do it!” That is the encouragement often offered to children, to youth and to adults in our lives. It is an encouragement to be bold, to pursue their dreams and to persist through difficulties. But what is that dream? What is...

How powerful words are! Rabbi Seymour J Cohen wrote: “Words can inspire, destroy, console us, entice us. Throughout history words promoted hatred, murder, even wars! How many politicians permanently had their careers ended by false rumors and innuendos!” Each of us have experienced the power...

This Sunday, April 20, Christians throughout the world celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. For Christians, Easter is the most important day of the year (Christmas is a distant second) and this year all Christians celebrate it on the same day.  The date of Easter...

“Fear not, says the Lord” (Isaiah 41:10, 43:1) is a well-known Bible verse offering comfort and strength to believing Christians who are assured that God is with them in presence, protection and power to help overcome fear, distress and difficult situations.  The phrase “Fear not”...

Members of the faith community of South County were disturbed, saddened and angered when we were made aware of a hate incident against our brothers and sisters in the Muslim community. For Muslims, this is the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and...

“There is no peace on earth,” I said, “for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned these words in a poem written during the Civil War in 1863. The poem was later set...

A few of you may have noticed the curious-looking structure that popped up outside my home recently. No, we did not embark on an overnight house expansion project. What you saw is our sukkah—a temporary structure that is the highlight of the weeklong holiday...

By the time you read this article, you may have very well taken your last bite of Thanksgiving dinner. You’ve let your belt out a notch and put the leftover turkey, potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce into to-go containers for your guests to take...

We’re about to celebrate one of my most favorite Jewish holidays: Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, which begins Dec. 18 and runs through Dec. 26. It’s my favorite because more than any other Jewish holiday, Chanukah is all about celebrating our freedom to live proudly...