Sign In Forgot Password

Passover Angst and The Dreaded Doldrums

03/30/2015 12:44:45 PM

Mar30

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

A friend of mine is dreading Passover. I asked why. She explained to me that she just feels hungry all week long. That everything that she wants to eat is forbidden. But then again, she reconsidered, maybe it isn’t. I asked if perhaps it was really a matter of deprivation. She demurred that it might be.

And here I am, the Rabbi, completely focused on the joy, the fun, the family atmosphere, and yes, fully aware that Passover also...Read more...

My Broken Heart is in the East

03/27/2015 12:46:24 PM

Mar27

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

My heart is broken. I am not sure when it officially broke, but broken, lying in a ditch flowing with tears, the poetic result of far too much heartache, echoing the refrains of the Spanish Medieval poet, Yehudah Halevi, “My heart is in the East and I am in the West” is where it lays. Or as modern day, American Jewish poet and songwriter, Dan Nichols, riffs on HaLevi’s 500 year old poem about Israel, “My heart is in the East, libi...Read more...

More often than not, we (and they) don’t mean to be mean…

02/17/2015 12:49:17 PM

Feb17

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Now it is true that there are times when people purposely, pre-meditatively, meaningfully seek to do us harm. They contemplate it. They meditate on it. They dream about it and then they inflict their damage on our hearts and souls.

That said, more often than not, most of the time, people who say things that hurt us or do things that cause us harm are often acting quite unaware of the pain and damage they may be inflicting...Read more...

On the Pope, Shakespeare and Charlie Hebdo

02/15/2015 12:57:56 PM

Feb15

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

So this blog entry was put on hold for me to complete as my son’s Bar Mitzvah took precedence. So now I am returning to a topic that, like so many “here today gone tomorrow” of our day and age, may not be central on people’s minds but is still rattling around in my head. And that is the hubbub that resulted from Pope Francis’ extemporaneous statement following the Paris attacks and subsequent Charlie Hebdo cover.

While I do...Read more...

“I believe wholeheartedly that we do need more religion in schools!”

02/12/2015 12:51:16 PM

Feb12

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Now, before you fall over, allow me to explain. This whole debate in our society between the “religious zealots” on one side and the “religious atheists” on the other is a “red herring” of the utmost degree. And the irony that we learn from political science is even more undermining of both sides. That is that the farther right or left one moves, one eventually finds himself, coming full circle right or left. The more insistent we...Read more...

“Weiss Brothers Unite! Form of a Rabbi! Form of a Life Coach!”

01/30/2015 12:52:40 PM

Jan30

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

So, my brother Ryan Weiss, a Life Coach in Los Angeles, writes a daily blog post entitled, “Waking up with Ryan.”

Recently, he asked me to be his first “guest writer.” I obliged and was thrilled to do so.  Below is Ryan’s introduction to me followed  by my blog post for him, which I am now sharing with you.

Shabbat Shalom and may this Tu B’svhat and Shabbat inspire us to be all that Shabbat calls us to...Read more...

The Big Reason why you Don’t Want to Miss Chill Fest

01/21/2015 12:56:28 PM

Jan21

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

We’ve told you all about the food trucks, the raffle, the arcade games…but who is this mysterious “Triple Threat” band we’ve been talking about? You know they’re performing live at the event, but we wanted to give you a sneak peak into one of their rehearsals so you get exactly why we’re SO beyond pumped to be featuring them at Chill Fest. Take a look behind the scenes at Rabbi Scott’s unbelievably talented Triplet Siblings,...Read more...

I am the luckiest Father, Husband and Rabbi I know!

01/17/2015 12:59:19 PM

Jan17

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Shavua Tov! May you have a very sweet week!

There’s something truly magnificent about our Jewish tradition and you don’t have to wear a lot of ill-fitting “garments” in order to make it happen. Here’s the recipe I believe that our Sages may have followed in order to create some of the traditions they bequeathed to us.

Pay attention to human nature. While technology and advancement have drastically changed how we...Read more...

J’accuse NPR

01/14/2015 01:00:38 PM

Jan14

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

An old friend of mine from college who now works in DC as a journalist was a budding investigative writer back then as well. He was only a Sophomore, but had already been threatened with university expulsion for having written an expose on the way in which university officials had purposely “hushed up” a rash of young women who had been spied on, threatened and sexually assaulted. I asked him why he was willing to go to such lengths, even...Read more...

What is CSK?

01/13/2015 01:01:42 PM

Jan13

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

The Big Apple

01/06/2015 01:07:38 PM

Jan6

Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the CSK Blog. With the help of our wonderful new employee, Laura Nelson, Director of Communications and Programming, this blog is a fantastic opportunity for us to share ideas with each other. To the best of my ability, I will write 2-3 entries a week and I look forward to your feedback. Whether you’re reading these at home or at work, or maybe even during services ;), I hope you’ll let me know, ask...Read more...

Sat, June 21 2025 25 Sivan 5785