Rabbi Or Rose

In a classic rabbinic tale about human ingenuity and Divine mystery (Menachot 29b in the Babylonian Talmud), God transports Moses forward in time to the study house of the renowned second-century sage, Rabbi Akiva.

Moses sits at the back of the classroom and...

As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approached I, like so many others, began to reflect on the events of that devastating day, and all that has transpired in our country and throughout the world since. I also began to think about the future and what life might look light 10...

Bill McKibben is a leading American environmental writer and activist. Over the last two decades he has helped to educate and mobilize untold numbers of people on issues of global warming, alternative energy sources and localized economies. In 2010, Time magazine described him as "the world's best green journalist." In...

"Blessed are You YHWH our God Who performed miracles for our ancestors in days past at this time."

What does it mean to light a Hanukkah candle?

One response I have been reflecting on this year comes from the early Hasidic master, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev (d. 1810)....

"Pave a road, pave a road, clear a path!"
--Isaiah 57:14

The High Holy Day season is a time to confront the reality of our mortality. It is an occasion to carefully weigh and measure what is most important to us, knowing that we only have a limited time...

A shiny red, mid-sized rental car pulled up to the curb and from it emerged a very tall, dark-skinned man with an off-white turban, long graying beard, and boyish smile. "Come my friend, let me help you with your bags. On a hot day like this, we can all use...

A rabbi, a Jewish farmer, and a young Israeli activist walk into a retreat center for a panel discussion on Judaism and the environment. This is not the beginning of a bad joke, but an image from my recent experience at the Kayam Farm just outside of Baltimore. Kayam (meaning...