Writing the Waves

Good evening, everybody. It’s really nice to be here with you tonight — and I’m especially grateful you’re all here, because, as you can see, the rabbi is out of town… and he has delegated the service to me. So if anything goes wrong, please remember: this is his fault.

But seriously — the timing could not be better, because this week’s Torah portion, Yitro, is all about delegation.

We often focus on the big...Read more...

To listen to Rabbi Scott's blog, click HERE.

(Read to the end and you’ll find the afikomen I’ve hidden for you—but suffice it to
say, Martin Cominsky has joined the “band” for tonight.)

One of the great religious debates—no matter the tradition—is the question of divine
authority. If a faith is built around a written text, the questions are inevitable: Who wrote it? Who gave it? What happens when sincere...Read more...

To listen to Rabbi Scott's blog, click HERE. 

Dear CSK!

(You can read this first to remind you why CSK matters and is worthy of your end of year contribution or you can just donate by clicking HERE, because you already know!)

As we approach the end of the year, I want to pause and share why Congregation Shma Koleinu matters—and why your support right now is so essential.

CSK’s email list reaches...Read more...

To listen to Rabbi Scott's blog, click HERE.

I often think back to a conversation I once had with David Rosenfeld, z”l, one of CSK’s founders. David was a remarkably gifted creative professional—his “doodles” were artwork, and he designed the CSK star that has become so central to our identity.

Early on, I told him I had come up with a slogan for CSK. He cautioned me gently, reminding me that a real slogan requires...Read more...

To listen to Rabbi Scott's blog, please click HERE.

There are so very few things in our lives that we have the capacity to control. Our human need for controlling the world outside of us (i.e., people, circumstances, reactions, and recognition) is, like all common human traits, rooted in an evolutionary biological fix that made the specific line we came from better able to survive and reproduce than others. But just because that need...Read more...

In recent weeks, I’ve received many thoughtful questions about the open letter I signed—along with more than a thousand of my rabbinic colleagues—raising concerns about the potential election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City.

There are of course concerns regarding the mixing of religion and politics. I understand that, and in my career I have rarely strayed. I have always felt. It is my duty to speak out on political...Read more...

To listen to Rabbi Scott's blog, click HERE.

Hakarat Hatov means “Find the good!”

It’s a rabbinic precept, so it doesn’t quite carry the weight of the Torah, but nonetheless, our Sages implore us, if not command us, to find the good in all moments, in all things. Perhaps because “goodness” is a central “building material” of God’s “spoken, and it came to be” world. On the sixth day of creation, the Torah...Read more...

To listen to Rabbi Scott's blog, click HERE.

If you follow my blog, you know that I was in Israel last month. You also probably know that Israel abounds with technology. So much of the technology that we use every single day, including our smart phones were invented by Israeli tech pioneers.

When you arrive in Israel, you must make sure that you download at least two apps for getting around: Gett and Moovit. Gett is the...Read more...

One of the most Jewish lessons I ever learned came not from a rabbi, but from Stephen Covey, a devout Mormon. Whether his Mormon faith shaped this teaching, I can’t say. But what I can say is that his wisdom has deepened how I live and practice my Jewishness—in my closest circles and in the wider world.

We all live with desires—for things, opportunities, and connections....Read more...

Waves of Concern, Circles of Care – How Do We Hold It All Together?

To listen to more, click HERE. 

A couple of months ago, Rabbi Laura and I began our annual conversation about the High Holy Days. (An occupational hazard for rabbis: planning the Days of Awe before the summer solstice!) Sadly, the theme we landed on has only grown more relevant. We...Read more...