The Rabbi and I

We came up with 15 different actions that the lame duck could do. All are possible but which ones are probable. We threw the dice to determine the order of probability. Perhaps you have others to add to the list.

I don’t trust the polls either so let’s roll the dice to see who comes out ahead in the Midterms.

Since everyone is entrenched in their solution for peace in the Middle East why not let the dice decide!

In 1 Samuel chapter 8 the Israelites tell Samuel that they want a king. God tells Samuel to tell the people that a king is a bad idea. Samuel then lists all of the bad things God said would happen. That list is a list of all the bad things that are happening now!

In a past episode we taught when the Talmud says that you are required to lie. Why do we have so much trouble being honest the rest of the time!

An Israeli cabinet minister put out a government plan this week to move most of Gaza's population somewhere else. He's calling it voluntary. Palestinian officials, Arab governments, and international law scholars say a choice made under blockade, with 80%+ of buildings destroyed and no way home, isn't really voluntary. The core dispute is whether ‘voluntary’ holds up under the actual conditions in...

I open with a claim: the word 'Zionism' has stopped doing the one job it was created to do. And I'm going to make that case using the Torah and the Talmud, not a communications consultant. Matthew Berger, a communications consultant, was hired by the Jewish Federations of North America to figure out what language actually works when Jewish groups talk about Israel and antisemitism. He got fired tw...

The 1988 founding covenant of Hamas explicitly called for the destruction of the State of Israel through jihad (holy war). In 2017, the group issued a new policy document that was nothing more than a public relations stunt. Hezbollah is a surrogate for Iran and Iran has sworn the destruction of Israel. First remove both if there’s to be any peace. Second everyone has a valid argument why they are...

Real antisemitism looks different from anti-Israel: blaming random Jews for a government's choices, claiming American Jews are secretly more loyal to Israel than their own country, reviving blood libel language — or being fine with every other people having a homeland except the Jewish one. This is antisemitism.

The founding of the State of Israel held the promise of creating a country that was guided by Jewish values. American Jews were proud of the accomplishments of Israel as it took its place among the world’s nations. Unfortunately politics and survival in the real world took Israel away from being a spiritual and cultural home for all Jews and not just for for a select group favored by the governmen...

Iran's been building a nuclear site buried deep inside a mountain — deep enough that normal bombs might not crack it. U.S. officials, including the President, have floated using a small — 'tactical' — nuclear weapon to destroy it instead. I'm not here to tell you what the Pentagon should do. I'm going to show you how our own tradition would build both sides of this argument.

Each country is spending upwards of 50 million dollars on advertising to convince us that their version of the war is the correct one! The goal is to sway public opinion not with facts and accuracy rather with sound bites and incomplete quotes. Whether you approve, agree, or disagree with these endless wars don’t believe any of the advertisements. And don’t depend on any one source for your inform...

The word "Zionist" is being used by different people to mean completely different things. To one person, "Zionist" just means "someone who supports the existence of a Jewish state." To another person — including, sometimes, other Jews — "Zionist" has become a coded way of saying something much uglier. Same word. Opposite charge. And in between those two poles is a genuine, decades-old argument ins...

Now that celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country is over go forth and live the message of our founders. The consent of the people is needed not only to make the government legitimate it is also needed to support the government in power. Here in DC "No taxation without representation" is not simply about taxes. It is about dignity and the insistence of the citizens that no...

Don’t be tempted to declare that the glass is half empty or half full. The size of the glass does not determine the amount of liquid. The real question is do you want more or is it enough? Don’t let the size of the glass trick you. It is the same way with the media, they package the message so that we focus on the package and not the message! Is your life half empty or half full!

Semper Fi, children welcome to boot camp, this is my house and you will do what I say. You need to move away from the idea that being a gunnery sergeant makes you a good father. Going to the other extreme of being an enabler and letting the kids do what ever doesn’t make you a good father either. We are neither our children’s best friend nor their gunny. Instead let’s be a parent to our children.

Don’t let jumping motorcycles and gladiators in a cage distract you from the importance of our flag. Honoring and respecting what our flag represents is a 365 day tradition. And one day a year we highlight the symbol of our Republic. Mickey shows his respect in his unique way! Today we salute the United States of America

The system is rigged. We have been brainwashed into thinking that we don’t have the brains to make our own decisions. Or the heart to treat each other with kindness and compassion. Or that to be a politician you need to lack the courage to follow your brain and heart. And the rest of us are following a road that leads nowhere good. It is time to get off The Yellow Brick Road!

Being ambitious is a positive attribute and leads us to doing great things. Avarice or greed is destructive and leads us to perdition. Unfortunately we can’t tell when ambition becomes greed. I know that I always see myself as ambitious and never greedy. But I can always tell when you have crossed the line. And there in lies the answer. Each of us needs a friend to tell us when we have chosen self...

Whenever I hear or read someone telling me that they know what God wants and it is not what I think, I am reminded of a baseball game! Someone in the nose bleed section of the bleachers screams at the plate umpire: “are you blind, that was a strike!” From 240 yards away this spectator can see better than the umpire standing right behind the plate! Amazing isn’t it!

Israel Right or Wrong - Is that Wrong or Right? Judaism is not a Political Action Committee (PAC) for the State of Israel! Judaism is supported by God, Torah, & Israel. The first 2 are easily understood it is the third that has become used and abused. It refers to the people Israel and not to geopolitical entity. Israel the country is not the same as Israel the people!

We definitely need a “God the Mother” day. Since the “One” is unknowable then it is appropriate that we refer to “a higher Power” as either male or female. We can only know what God is not and we can know God’s attributes! God is the Father & the Mother

Hints, hacks, and tricks you can use to avoid being drawn into hating. Pundits and influencers use subtle and not so subtle ways to lure us into joining their campaign of hate. Here is my vaccine to inoculate you so that you won’t be infected with hate.

In “the world to come” you will be asked if you denied yourself any pleasures or indulgences that your faith community permits or allows? “And God looked upon creation and declared it good”. Over Doing Destroys Any Pleasure

In high school, college, and professional sports sports everyone wants God on their side. In business negotiations, a divorce, or any competition everyone wants God on their side. Needles to say both sides in war want God on their side! I am glad that I am not God constantly taking sides. Don’t put God in the middle!