Baseball, America’s pastime, has always been one of my favorite sports. As a youngster I collected baseball cards and I remember watching most of the games on TV and occasionally taking in a live game in Toronto. Although the action was often slow, there was never any worry about the clock. One could arrive at […]
The Jewish people have a long tradition of humor, dating back to the Jewish Bible and the Talmud. The Book of Esther is filled with biblical humor. The fourth century rabbi known as Rabbah delivered his lectures in a serious frame of mind but would always preface them with a joke or witticism, believing that […]
There are a myriad of vitamins and other medications on the market that promise longer life through healthy living. The Talmud, written by medieval rabbis, also offered advice about how to achieve longevity, many of which were in Greek and folk medicine. Over the years I have collected rabbinic advice on how to achieve longevity […]
On the fifth day God created the animals. Adam was given the task of naming each of the one. When God decided to destroy the world by bringing a huge flood, Noah was instructed to take his family and two of every animal onto the ark to save the species. In Jewish law, animals have […]
During the last couple of years, I began to immerse myself in learning more about the practice of mindfulness. My interest was sparked, in part, by the idea of creating a Haggadah that combined physical movement and mindfulness exercises in order to more fully experience Passover’s message of freedom and redemption. As preparation for writing […]
I recently read an interesting article in The New York Times article entitled “Living with Sacred Spaces.” The article featured New York City families of various faiths who set aside spaces in their homes to pray, meditate and give thanks, and included photos of their sacred spaces. Interviewees shared that these spaces had become even […]
We all have much to be grateful for. This Thanksgiving, may we find meaningful ways to express our gratitude and to share our bounty.
Centuries ago, Rabbi Hillel taught that an ignoramus cannot be a righteous person. He presumably did not mean that ignorant people necessarily lack the desire to do good. Their deficiency rather is intellectual. Right actions require knowledge, and people lacking that knowledge will not know the proper way to behave. For this reason, Talmudic rabbis […]
I have always believed that we should make the best of every day. One never knows when one’s last day will be. The pandemic has made death impossible to forget. Each day when I awaken in the morning, I say thank you to the One on High for another day of the gift of life. […]
Every spring when we travel to the Poconos to spend time at our vacation home, I look forward to opening the car window as we cross the Dingmans Ferry Bridge into Pennsylvania and smelling the beautiful scent of the pine trees. The air has a very fresh aromatic smell because the pines are so dense […]
Rabbi Ron Isaacs 