Dear Friends: A few updates: 1.) Later today I will be joining other area Conservative rabbis to meet with two of our Israeli colleagues from the Masorti Movement, the Israeli counterpart of our Conservative Movement (the word “Masorti” means Traditional). Rabbi Doron Rubin is the CEO of the Masorti Movement and Rabbi Mikie Goldstein is the Director of Resource Development. (Rabbi Goldstein also holds the distinction of being the first gay rabbi ordained by the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary...

Dear Friends: We sometimes forget how rapidly means of communication have changed in our world. Here’s an interesting statistic for you to ponder: in 1994, half of the world’s population had never made a telephone call. Fifteen years later, in 2009, there were 3.3. billion mobile phone subscribers out of a total world population of five billion. Within the last few weeks I appeared in two different types of new media but in both cases the appearances were to some extent products of...

Dear Friends: In one of my talks over Pesach I discussed the “real” reason for a fifth cup of wine -- one which we fill but do not drink -- at the Passover Seder and why it is called the Cup of Elijah. We have four cups because there are four phrases or promises of redemption in Exodus 6:6-7. God says “I will free you”, “deliver you”, “redeem you”, and “take you.” Then in verse 6:8 God says “I will bring you into the Land” of Canaan. The question which is debated in the Talmud is whether this...