Rabbi's Corner

Message from the Rabbi

When we watch ASPCA commercials—those heartbreaking images of neglected animals paired with a gentle voice urging compassion—it stirs something deeply human in us. We’re moved to care, to give, to protect the vulnerable.
In Parashat Ki Tetze, the Torah commands: “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together” (Deut. 22:10). It seems like a simple rule about farming, but it’s much more than that. It’s a directive to notice suffering, even silent suffering—and to prevent it. If the Torah asks us to be sensitive to the discomfort of animals, how much more so must we be careful with the dignity and well-being of other people?
If we can feel such compassion watching a dog shiver in the cold, can’t we extend that same kindness—if not greater—to the human beings around us who are struggling, isolated, or hurting?
True compassion doesn’t rank recipients. It starts by opening our hearts—and then asking, “What more can I do?”
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Special Elul Workshop: So You Think You Know the Story of Noah
Noah is the perfect prelude to the High Holidays—his story holds up a mirror to our moral choices, our failures and potential, and God’s infinite capacity for renewal. Teaching about him in Elul sets the stage for deep spiritual reflection and inspires us to climb aboard our own teivot and prepare for the journey of transformation ahead.
Join me for 4 Wednesday evenings leading up to Rosh HaShannah on zoom. Click here  to join at 8:00pm September 3, 10 and 17th.