There's a story about a child who asks his father a question. "Can you explain to me what a conscience problem is?" he asks. The father replies: "I'll give you an example. If a customer comes into my store and buys something for one dollar, and by mistake gives me...

The dual Torah portions of Tazria and Metzora pose a challenge every year to rabbis and teachers. How are we to make sense of skin diseases and "icky," moldy stuff in houses and on clothes that Kohanim (priests) are called upon to diagnose and cleanse? How can we possibly apply...

There's an old story about the pope and the Jews. Several centuries ago, thepPope decreed that all the Jews had to convert to Catholicism or leave Italy. There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community, so the pope offered a deal: He'd have a religious debate with the leader...

Joshua Bell is one of the world's most accomplished violinists. He has played with the world's most renowned orchestras and now is a conductor as well. He performs in the world's finest concert halls and often commands hundreds of dollars per ticket. About five years ago, he participated in...

The 18th century Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin said: "If you want to raise a person from mud, do not think it is enough to keep standing on top and reaching a helping hand down to the person. You must go all the way down yourself, down into mud. Then take...

If Dr. Itzhak Haviv, an oncologist at Bar Ilan University ever wins the Nobel Prize for Medicine, I can say I met him way back when. I can say the same thing for Dr. Hanna Alonim, Director of the Mifne Center for the Early Intervention in the Treatment...

I'm sure many of us can reach back into the deepest recesses of our memories and identify the first news story that we were aware of. For some it might have been Pearl Harbor, the founding of the State of Israel, the Kennedy assassination or man walking on the moon....

Recently, Ariel Kaminer in her New York Times column "The Ethicist" announced a contest calling on readers to state -- in 600 words or less -- why it is ethical to eat meat. Thousands of entries were submitted, and the works of six finalists were posted online last...

There's a story about a child who asked his father the question: "Can you explain to me what a conscience problem is?" The father replied, "I'll give you an example. If a customer comes into my store and buys something for $1, and by mistake gives me $3, I suddenly...

When Cecil B. Demille made the film "The Ten Commandments," it might have made more sense calling the film "The Exodus." Afterall, the bulk of the film centers on the Exodus experience. In fact, on the Universal Studios tour, they don't show you God inscribing the tablets on Mt. Sinai....

The following is adapted from a Passover sermon Rabbi Bernstein delivered at his congregation on April 7, 2012.

In Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," there is the following exchange between Alice and the Duchess:

"Thinking again?" the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little chin....

The following are derived from remarks delivered by Rabbi Bernstein at an Interfaith Unity Seder convened by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Palm Beach County, Florida, on March 29. The seder included members of Rabbi Bernstein's congregation, Temple Torah of Boynton Beach, Fla., and members of St. Paul's Missionary...

For the past year, I have had the privilege of developing my thinking in religious environmentalism as a member of GreenFaith's Fellowship program. The program brings together leaders from multiple faith traditions to develop religious and moral voices in safeguarding the environment. Three pillars of study are Spirit (the sanctity...

The Jewish liturgy on Rosh Hashanah declares, hayom harat olam, "today is the birthday of the world." The phrase evokes the majesty of creation. It reminds us simultaneously that we mortals are mere specks of dust in the broader universe. At the same time, we have great significance. The overall...

I sometimes think of myself as an accidental environmentalist. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I can draw a direct, if not perfectly straight, line to my efforts today to live an ecologically sustainable lifestyle.

Ten years ago, I lived in the New York area where...

Having recently moved from Cleveland, Ohio, to South Florida, I am adjusting to a very different climate. The timing of my move was such that I missed experiencing the infamous "Heat Dome" that plagued a large swath of the country this summer. Ironically, while temperatures in Florida were seasonably muggy...

Every Jewish holiday has its own food associations. Passover: Matzah, of course! Rosh HaShanah: Apples and honey; Hanukkah: Latkes; Shavuot: Blintzes and other dairy food; Tu-B'Shvat: Almonds. Even Yom Kippur, which is a fast day, is bracketed by festive meals before and after the fast. Tisha B'Av, Judaism's "other" full...

The Jewish attachment to the historic Land of Israel is profound and pervasive through every aspect of our religious tradition. At the same time, Jewish civilization has been profoundly affected by centuries of exile that prevented Jews from the privileges and responsibilities of sovereignty over land. Every year, in the...

In reflecting on my blog's theme of Judaism and the environment and my efforts to relate this theme to the Jewish calendar, the upcoming festival of Shavuot (beginning after sundown on June 7 through June 9) bears lots of fruit, literally and figuratively. It would be easy for me to...

The anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar on the Jewish calendar, observed this year May 9-10) has become a major holiday throughout the mainstream Jewish community in Israel and around the world. On Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day), many synagogues recite...