In recent weeks, in synagogue we have read the stories of the birth of Ishmael—a son of Abraham– who becomes the father of the Muslim people—and that of Isaac, another son of Abraham, who becomes one ...

This piece was originally delivered as a sermon titled “The Cries of Isaac and Ishmael” at Central Synagogue on the first day of Rosh Hashanah in 2025. I have been a rabbi for 25 years, 20 of them at ...

This is a story about a blue crab killed for no good reason. It is a story about birth and rebirth, law and life, nature and nurture, cooperation and connection, cultivation and civilization, ...

Sarah and Abraham make their spiritual journey together. A careful reading of the Torah text reveals to us that G-d never speaks to Abraham when Sarah is not part of his life. So it’s no wonder that ...

Sarah, seeing that her stepson Ishmael was a menace to the spiritual health of her only son Isaac, tells Abraham to drive him out of their house, together with his mother Hagar. God tells Abraham to ...