The Rabbi and I

AI is becoming ubiquitous and we are enamored with it. Is AI the equivalent of human feelings? Perhaps we are the AI and AI really is human!

We all have free will, we can do whatever we want. Don’t you want your grandma to be proud of you? Sure you do, there are then some things you should do.

In episode 2 of our series the Sabbath meal is introduced as enough to be a good Jew. Being Jewish is not about fulfilling an endless series of rules. Being a Jew means doing something Jewish!

Time to review our marriage to our electronic devices. Perhaps our devices need a break from us!

You have free will. What makes you think that God will give you permission to lie, cheat, steal, or take advantage of others when He specifically said don’t lie, cheat, steal, or take advantage of others!

It’s not complicated. Being Jewish starts with a blessing. You can do more and you don’t need to do more.

You don’t need to follow the religion of your grandparents just because they said so. You can choose the religious practices that make sense to you. And if not now when?

Be careful not to be so concerned with constructing the sukkah that you forget why you are building a sukkah. The Rabbis drafted the construction plans for the sukkah, but God revealed to us why.

The time has come to decide. Courting voters has reach a fever pitch. The lies and deceptions of the candidates have reached a new high or is it a new low!

Every country on the planet has an agreed upon immigration policy. Let’s put aside political posturing from both the Democrats and the Republicans and create an agreed upon immigration policy. What is happening now is destructive not constructive.

Yom Kippur is about you and not about the people you have hurt. It is the time to do a personal inventory and correct your actions. Then and only then do you ask for forgiveness.

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of a 10 day period of conducting a personal inventory. Have I let chance control my life or have I made thoughtful choices. Gambling has a place, but not when I have the opportunity to choose what to do.

Football gives us many great Jewish lessons and this year is no exception! With the new football season comes new plays. If we are going to survive the coming year we will need new plays. The old ones just don’t work any more.

Father Kelley & Rabbi Block share their experiences of combining a Jewish naming ceremony with a Roman Catholic baptism. Baptism and Jewish naming are not mutually exclusive.

What should I be afraid of this week? Every day the media has us in a frenzy. Don’t you remember acid rain, the hole in the ozone, no more birds, etc. it is never too late for us to panic!

Social Media is anything but! What was a great platform for sharing has become antisocial.

Judaism and Roman Catholicism are more in common than they are different. A wedding with a Catholic Priest and a Rabbi combine the spiritual and traditional elements of both faiths.

Whether in our personal lives, the military, or medicine just because it can be done doesn’t mean we should do it! Too much waste and pain are the result of doing something unnecessary just because we can do it.

Art takes feelings, emotions, and perceptions and makes them visible in the world we live in. Religion takes our feelings, emotions, and perceptions about the universe and expresses them in our actions.

You can never hide from your religion! Let’s not fool ourselves if our religion is valuable and helpful why would we not take it with us. If you need a vacation from your religion it is time to find another religion.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel: “One thing I know with certainty is the God exists and it is not me!” God as described in the Scriptures is just that, an individuals description of that which cannot be described. It is time to stop treating one description as the only description.

Public schools have failed to educate our children. Private schools are beyond the reach of most families. That just leaves home schooling.

The real battle is between Hume and Hobbes. Are people innately good or bad? Your view will determine your actions.

You can never be too careful. Evil crouches at the door. There are many ways to ward off bad luck and evil.

Judge people as good or bad by their actions, not by what they say!