Torah is a living entity in my life and is an endless and forever Giving-Tree. It is this imagery that captures me when we lift the Torah and say “Etz Chayim Hee LaMahazikim Ba” (It is a Tree of Life When You Hold It Close (my own translation). On so many levels, the Torah informs me about how to live a life with more humility, with more honor towards others, with an appreciation for the Creator. So, I have a visceral response when I hear the words describing the Hebrew Bible

I read something from an unlikely source that struck my deepest core as a Jew, and came to a full stop at a passage from the first chapter of “How to be an Anti-Racist”, a new book by Ibram X. Kendi. I’m sure Dr. Kendi did not intend this outcome, in fact, I feel guilt at even sharing this, because I personalized a phrase he used to illustrate a core issue of his, one that influenced his childhood and his present thoughts about racism. Perhaps in writing this, I am part of th