My mind has been on kids this week. It is the end of the school year and the beginning of the camp season so it is a season that gets us to think about children and what is best for them.

I sat with someone this week to talk about some personal issues she is facing. I did my best to be listen and be supportive. She was questioning God and wanted to know if God listens to our personal prayers.

The other day, I attended an event celebrating the accomplishments of a local Jewish Day School. It is the school my children attend, the Golda Och Academy in West Orange NJ.

Every year when I am invited to speak at our Multi Faith Thanksgiving Community Service, I search for a new reading or prayer related to gratitude and appreciation. Over the years, I have found many including some that go back to Biblical times.

I know that it is a holiday weekend and that many people will be away. However, if you are in town this Shabbat, I encourage you to join us on Shabbat morning.

It is graduation season. If you have a graduate in your family or if you plan to attend a graduation in the coming days, I wish you Mazal Tov. Graduations are significant moments in the lives of both the graduate and the members of the family.

I had a teacher who once said among the most important qualities every Jew needs to do is be a story teller. Think about how many of our traditions are about telling stories - Jewish history, the weekly Torah Reading, holiday observances and so much more.

This past week, I attended the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington DC. It was a powerful time to be in Washington, especially in light of some major news stories.

On Saturday night, I am heading to Washington DC to be a part of the AIPAC National Policy Conference as I do every year, but this year things feel different.

Our hearts go out today to our Muslim friends who are experiencing tragedy once again with the attack on the mosque in New Zealand. Nearly 50 people have lost their lives and so many people are feeling the emotional pain and devastation of the attack.

I am very concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism in our country including all of the major news stories related to anti-Semitic statements made by public officials.

There is a well-known verse found in the Book of Deuteronomy that has been on my mind a great deal this week. Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof - Justice, Justice shall you pursue.

My daughter Dena is in twelfth grade at the Golda Och Academy, the Jewish Day School in West Orange NJ. This past week, she and her classmates completed all of the school work for the year and departed for a three month experience in Israel.

This weekend a group of students and teachers of our Hebrew High School program are in New Orleans, LA as part of our Siyyum Tichon Community Service Trip.

I received a very nice message yesterday morning from a thoughtful member of the congregation. In light of the terrible cold, she wanted to know if we had a way of checking in on members of our congregation who may have specific challenges because of the weather.

Years ago, I worked in the national office of a Jewish youth organization overseeing a summer travel program and many other educational endeavors. One program brought together over 1,000 Jewish teens in a major city for a week over Winter break.

I remember years ago when one of my Rabbinic mentors said that music can touch the heart more so than the spoken word. I can think of countless times in my life when I know that to be true.

I am struggling with the increase of hate speech in world. I know the power of speech and how words can build up and how words can destroy. I understand the freedoms and rights we have as Americans, but I also know the obligations we have as Jews.
 

I want to share with you the plans for tomorrow morning's service in the hope that you will join us. As much as we love to celebrate with our Bar and Bat Mitzvah families, I find the weeks when there is no Bar or Bat Mitzvah allows me to be a bit more creative.

I really enjoy the time I spend with small study groups. I am currently leading a few different groups of adults that come together, mostly once a month, to read a text together and share our own thoughts and responses to the text.

For the past 30 years a group of women have gathered at the Kotel to pray every month on Rosh Chodesh. This group, Women of the Wall, organizes this service every month on Rosh Chodesh to honor the connection women have to this minor holiday and to come together to pray, read from the Torah, sing, dance and celebrate together.

Many of us have been focused this week on the devastating news of the fires in California. It is so hard to believe the devastation, the loss of life, the homes destroyed, the stories of entire towns wiped out and so much more.

As a sports fan, I am intrigued by something that I notice now when I watch NFL Football games. In addition to watching the game and rooting for my team, I notice that the player's uniforms and other things around the stadium have a connection to a monthly theme.

I admit to you that I have been walking around in a bit of a cloud this week. It has been so hard to accept the news of the shooting at Congregation Tree of Life in Pittsburgh last Shabbat.

On behalf of The Jewish Center of Princeton, our President Linda Meisel and the lay leadership and staff, the multi-generational Jewish community in Princeton and beyond Princeton, we are grateful to be here.
 

It has been such a difficult few days as we all watch the news stories and reactions to the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

All of us have such a heavy heart tonight as we learn more about the horrendous attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh.

It is said that when we do the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim, visiting someone who is ill, we take away 1/60^th of their illness.

I had a very powerful experience yesterday that took me a bit off guard. I attended the Commencement ceremonies at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.

In my 13 years in Princeton, working alongside clergy members from other religious traditions, I have learned many lessons. There is one in particular that I want to share with you today.

We Jews have a thing about counting. There are times when we need to count and there are times when we should not count. We need to count people to make sure we have ten for a minyan.

I have said many times that singing is much more emotional than speaking - music can touch the heart much more deeply than the spoken word.

This Shabbat is a unique time in the Jewish Calendar - it is the Shabbat between Yom HaShoah and Yom HaAtzmaut. It is the Shabbat between Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Israel's Independence Day.

Every year I am asked for new ideas for activities and discussions at the Seder. Some good Haggadot include some ideas.

As we prepare for Shabbat and continue to think about our Passover Seders that will begin one week from tonight, I want to share a text with you that could spark a good conversation around your Seder table.

I am proud of our young people and I am impressed that teenagers across the country organized rallies and walkouts in their schools to demonstrate their views on the increasing level of gun violence in America today.

I hope that everyone is okay after the storm. I know that many people were affected by the storm; some people had trouble driving, some people lost power, some people were stuck inside their homes for a few days.

As I read all of the stories of the Superbowl and I listened to many interviews with the players and coaches after the game, I discovered an inspiring story.

Ever since the news of the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, I have been feeling at a loss for words.

As I read all of the stories of the Superbowl and I listened to many interviews with the players and coaches after the game, I discovered an inspiring story.

This Shabat is Shabbat Shirah because during our Torah Reading tomorrow morning, we will read the Song of the Sea...

This past Monday, I attended the Princeton Community Interfaith Service celebrating the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the First Baptist Church of Princeton...

My mother in law recently shared an online article with her children that contained a lot of wisdom...

Recently, a Rabbinic colleague and I debated about whether it is okay for US Rabbis to criticize Israel from the bimah. We agreed we have the right to do that but it must be factual and respectful...