The following is a letter to the editor of an imaginary paper that would only be read by people who understand that I mean well, and who know that I write this as a humble teacher moved to teach: Dear Editor: If a friend of yours confided that she had several relationships with men all of whom abused her; you would offer that while one abusive relationship can happen by ...
Is it possible that even when you do the right thing it will bring you negative consequences? Imagine that your Aunt walks into the room, this is the first time you have seen her since she became ill. She looks gaunt and pail, but you want to cheer her up so you tell her that she looks great. She smiles and says you’re just saying that, but you can tell it pleased ...
I used to hate Tisha B’Av. I hated its sadness and discomfort. I must be getting older because now I long for it to begin. A friend of mine died a few days ago. His death silently hangs in the air awaiting my attention. Sadness is a part of the natural rhythm of life, but I rarely let it in. In the past it has always been an unwelcome guest in the domicile of my being ...
There was no one so frightening as the man who sat in the farthest back row of the synagogue. To most adults he was friendly and harmless, but we children knew better. We approached him with great care and trepidation. He never looked you straight in the eye, but he knew you were there. He was like a fisherman patiently waiting to reel you in. He did none of the work, we were lured by our own unbridled desire. Your first time, you were led by the hand, by an older, more experienced boy or girl. They took you to an unmarked boundry, beyond which only one child could approach at a time. He was a mountain approached with awe. Once you were close enough, somehow you knew you were close enough, you stopped. He never changed his severe expression, as he slowly reached beneath his tallis into his suit pocket. Out would come one piece of candy in a cellophane wrapper. He would hold it out for you to take, but make you tug on it to release it from his grasp. Your heart pounded so loudly you had trouble hearing your mumbled thank you and you quickly left. No candy tasted sweeter. It was spiced with the thrill of having narrowly escaped with your life. He was the ‘Candy Man.’ “Candy Men” can be found in synagogues all around the world, and in the memories of many Jewish adults. They come in all shapes and sizes. They come from every background. There isn’t a special curriculum of study, no special degree required, just an ancient tradition passed on from generation to generation. ...
Shauli, our youngest son, was about seven years old as he sat across the table from me, at our favorite pizza shop. He considered a slice of pizza he held in his hands and asked: “Is Hashem (G-d) everywhere?” “Yes,” I answered, matter of factly. “Is He in this slice of Pizza?” he asked, probing further. “Yes,” I answered; less sure of myself, but still fairly confident. Shauli then took a bite out of his pizza and looked ...
One day, Mayer, my chavruta wondered out loud about how a prophet could identify that a particular event he saw would happen in the future; after all, the information that he was accessing was most likely coming from a “place” beyond the boundaries of time. His question began a stream of consciousness that led me to remember a question that had once occurred to me: Can a gilgul (reincarnated soul) go back in time? When your ...
The Trouble with AntisemitismUploaded by Jewneric For more information on Rabbi Karsh please visit The Torah Learning Center ...
When we watch the evening news, everything we hear and see will have already happened. The news anchors are telling us stories. We watch because we believe that knowing those stories will help us navigate the path from the present to the future. We hear the same story over and over again, told with slight variation. Books and movies are the same book or movie, made with different actors or characters, set in different settings, but the same story. How many times do I have to listen to the same story before I absorb its lesson? ...
Several years ago, a collection of Jews from Chicago got together to deal with hatred run amok. They formed two groups which they ironically named "One Groups." The purpose of these groups was to help its members develop doable, individual projects that would heal rifts and build bridges. The first meetings were charged with energy. There were people representing many strata of Jewish society that rarely interact with each other. There were Kach members and ...
