About three weeks ago I received a call from a dear colleague, asking me if I would like an all-expense-paid trip to an interfaith conference in Israel? A few phone calls later I knew only a little bit more. A Catholic organization known as the Neocatechumenal Way was organizing a meeting for rabbis and Catholic […]
Author Archive | Rabbi Jonathan
Why Pray? The Purposes of Prayer in a Skeptical Age
We do not refuse to pray; we abstain from it. We ring the hollow bell of selfishness rather than absorb the stillness that surrounds the world, hovering over all the restlessness and fear of life – the secret stillness that precedes our birth and succeeds our death. Futile self-indulgence brings us out of tune with […]
On the Purpose of Prayer
Growing up in a religious Jewish home, I went to synagogue every Saturday for Sabbath services. I learned the traditional liturgy by rote. This wasn’t a bad thing – it had a musical feel to it, familiar and comforting. But I never thought about what the prayers were saying, or what they meant. As an […]
Purim Down Under
Dear Friends, I am approaching the last few days of my journey in New Zealand, and it has been an absolutely marvelous trip both as a teacher and as a tourist. I just completed a very rich week of teaching with a wonderful group of folks at Temple Sinai, the Progressive synagogue of Wellington, New […]
Listen: Audio Recordings of “Let It Go – The Personal, Environmental and Spiritual Practice of Shmita”
You can now listen to Rabbi Jonathan’s fall 2014 classes online! If you weren’t able to attend his classes – or if you were there and want to listen again at your leisure, follow this link to recordings of Rabbi Jonathan’s 6-week course “Let It Go – The Personal, Environmental, and Spiritual Practice of Shmita.
Listen: Audio Recordings of Rabbi Jonathan’s Weekly Torah Study Class
You can now listen to Rabbi Jonathan’s fall 2014 classes online! If you weren’t able to attend his classes – or if you were there and want to listen again at your leisure, follow this link to recordings of Rabbi Jonathan’s weekly Torah study class and enjoy!
In The Holy of Holies: A Yom Kippur Teaching, 5775
Following is the talk I offered on Kol Nidre Eve, October 3, 2014 at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation: I wrestled this year with all of the subjects I have wanted to discuss with you. Over the past months my attention has been relentlessly drawn outward, primarily to the Middle East: the complete collapse of society […]
If You Only Say One Blessing…
If You Only Say One Blessing… There is a Jewish blessing – a bracha – for just about every occasion and experience: blessings of gratitude before and after eating, before washing your hands, for putting on your shoes, for waking up in the morning, for studying Torah, welcoming a festival, seeing beautiful sights, upon hearing […]
In Praise of Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger was one of my heroes. I remember attending a solo concert of Pete’s at Carnegie Hall when I was a young man. He stood on a small oriental rug on a bare stage, just him, his banjo, his guitar and a full house of people ready to sing with him. At intermission he […]
Israel Journal, Part 2: Good People Everywhere
Dear Friends, I managed one dispatch during our tour, but then no more until now – flying back across the ocean to home in Woodstock. But I would still like to share some of the highlights of our trip with you. Palmach Museum Tel Aviv is such a vibrant city – it is at the […]