In recognition of Shabbat Shuvah, and in memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin, 9.25.2020 Shabbat Shuvah Congregation Beth Israel, Scottsdale, Arizona Dear Sela Penina, my daughter, my girl: Tonight is Shabbat Shuva, a Shabbat of turning — a time for turning inwards, for reflection on who and how…

A Rosh Hashanah Message Join me on a mental journey to your favorite Jewish deli. You could open the expansive menu, but I know you’ve got your go-to dish. Rabbi Kahn would order Pastrami on Rye with the cole slaw on the sandwich, but the dressing on the side. Cantor…

Using our Greatest Gifts This drash was delivered several years ago. I offer it again today in honor of Shavuot, and our 15 year wedding anniversary. My husband and I are blessed to be celebrating our eleventh wedding anniversary tomorrow. The last eleven years feel at once like a moment…

Welcoming the Jewish Adjacent Do you remember those hard candy hearts with a message printed on them? You’d get a box of them for Valentine’s Day, and choose which message to give to which friend. For your bestie, maybe it says ‘cutie pie,’ or for an acquaintance, it says ‘stay…

A tribute to my Zaide on his 11th Yartzeit My Zaide was tall. Or at least, I remember him that way. Marking his 11th yartzeit this week memories of him are close at hand. Sitting in his armchair with a huge book. Long talks about the future, or the news…

Responding to Antisemitism like a Fiddler on the Roof A fiddler on the roof… Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof. Trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck…

As they bring holy lessons to Capitol Hill On Monday, I stood in a park across the street from the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill. I was with forty tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders from Congregations Beth Israel and Temples Chai, Solel, and Kol Ami. A group of…

An Interfaith Pilgrimage to the Holy Land The trip began on the ground, at home. We checked the weather and selected appropriate clothes. We made arrangements for carpools and play dates and babysitters so that my parents would have all the support they needed to watch our children while we…

Counting our blessings on even our darkest days. Nobody walks in LA. I lived there for ten years, and so much of that time was spent in the car. Especially the years when I had internships in the San Fernando Valley. Each day after classes I’d spend an hour or…