Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayikra (Leviticus 1-5)Set a Margin so Life doesn’t Just Barge In

Margin/märjən/the edge or border of something. Although margins are important for books, we don’t talk enough about the need to leave space for margins in life. In The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients, Irvin Yalom, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Stanford, says that he never schedules back-to-back appointments. […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayakhel-Pekudei (Exodus 35-40) (Parshat HaChodesh)Unlocking Your Potential without Destroying It

Unlocking Your Potential without Destroying It[The following idea is from a classic 19th century Chassidic work called Mei HaShiloach (Living Waters) addressing one of life’s great challenges: On one hand we need to realize our significance and that we were created for a unique purpose but at the same time we should realize that our accomplishments ultimately come […]

Rabbi O on Purim: The Masks of Purim and COVID

 Wearing a mask was once child’s play but one year ago, the role of masks changed dramatically. We now understand that wearing a mask can be a matter of life and death – for us and those around us. In the book Simple Words: Thinking About What Really Matters in Life, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz devoted an entire […]

Sukkot 5781-2020 Jewish Devil Dogs

In Jewish consciousness, there’s an idea that the three festivals—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot—correspond to the three Patriarchs. Tonight is Sukkot, the holiday corresponding to Yaakov (Jacob).The Mitzvah of Sukkah is an unlike almost all others in that we do it with our entire body. We eat matzah with our mouths, light Shabbos candles with our […]

Yom Kippur 5781-2020Seize the Opportunity

What is the first recorded moment in history in which one human being forgave another? When Joseph forgave his brothers. (Don’t mistake forgiveness with appeasement of anger, a concept found in ancient Greek literature.)From Judaism, a new form of morality was born. Most other systems are ethics of shame; when a person does wrong (s)he is, as […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Ha’Azinu (Deuteronomy 32) Basketball’s 3-Point Line and Judaism

Look at a list of NBA champions and you’ll see that basketball’s history has been dominated by elite, very tall, Centers. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain dominated the ’60s. They were followed by Kareem in the ’70s and ’80s, Hakeem Olajuwon in the ’90s, and Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000s.  But that’s no longer the case. What happened? How can a league be dominated […]

Rosh Hashanah 5781-2020Emerging!

“It is especially important not to use aspirin during the last 3 months of pregnancy,” is the warning on every bottle of aspirin. Why not? “because it may cause problems in the unborn child.” A fetus is obviously more sensitive to the effects of chemicals than a fully developed person. Partly, of course, because of its […]