Conversations with the Rabbi

"The horrors of war are horrific and there is no one I know who takes solace or joy in the suffering of innocents. Not so ironically, the sooner the remainder of Hamas is disarmed, the sooner the people of Gaza can hold hands and pray for a future." (click to hear the full but brief blog post)

Perhaps the ultimate proof that Hamas means it when it says, "From the River to Sea..." is October 7, 2023, itself. The victims of their terror lived, worked. and loved inside of the most accepted Israeli borders there are. And still, they lost their lives.

The Blue Light by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Today Is Your Lucky Day! by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Hostages release must be at least a co-condition of a ceasefire demand.

This week's Torah portion may make you rethink your assumption that it doesn't matter what you wear - to someone else, but most especially to you!

Wouldn't it be a better world if we breathed before we posted and asked ourselves whether or not we really wanted our most negative words to be part of the ether for millennia I know that the Torah did not have the Internet in mind, or maybe it did?

Wisdom Works by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

I do recognize that there is an existential angst plaguing our world, and it may very well be the cause of violent outbursts against the most vulnerable. And there is no question that a country with more guns than people makes the worst outcomes all the more possible. But how is it that if God forbid a child got drunk at your home, and suffered a horrible accident there or once he had left, that t...

“The North American Jewish community has steadfastly come to the aid of Israel at moments of crisis. Israel belongs, first of all, to its citizens, and they have the final word. But Israel also matters to the entire Jewish people. When an Israeli government strays beyond what your commitments to liberal democracy can abide, you have both the right and the responsibility to speak up.” - An open let...

Calling out the two worst human beings in the world.

“I was there for 10 minutes, and already I felt calmer.” And in that moment, I was reminded once again how Shabbat is a practice that when regularly “practiced,” sensitizes us to shabbats that arise when we are least expecting them. And that is a central element for what it means to live Jewishly. Yesterday, Ann Friedman and I visited the Auspicious Cloud Retreat Center in Chappell Hill, just an h...

It doesn't matter if you understand all the words, know all the rituals, are fluent in Hebrew and Yiddish. What matters is your fluency as a human being. And this is what Shabbat is about - the pause we need to reawaken to our humanness,.

Where My Loves Are by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

We See You Sandy Hook by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

If we're not wiling to break some eggs, what's the point?

The Inconceivable Surprise Of Living by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Shabbat is always special. Shabbat at the Rothko Chapel is all the more so. Enjoy this recording of CSK Shabbat at the Rothko Chapel, 10-28-22.

What drives political violence? Spiritual angst and loss.

This is a brief meditation on the meaning of withdrawal necessary to stay spiritually healthy.

An Invitation To Journey Parents from Rabbi Scott by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Poisoned Wells by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

If Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness doesn't encompass who we sleep with, who we build our lives with, where we learn and with whom, and when we start our families, then what does it mean?

This Is Why We Practice by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

The Rainbow And The Matrix by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss