Rabbi Chessin’s Monthly Column

This month marks the Golden Anniversary (50th) of the reunification of Jerusalem of Gold! Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, is the most recent Jewish “holiday” on the Hebrew calendar, celebrated on the 28th Iyar (six weeks after the Passover Seder, and one week before the eve of Shavuot). Although the Six Day War took place in […]

Hopefully by now you are well on your way to filing your United State income taxes which are due this year April 18th (unless you apply for an extension). What is the Jewish perspective on paying taxes?   Jewish law insists that we are obligated to pay our governmentally-imposed taxes. The duty stems from the […]

The adage “May you live in interesting times” was never more true than when Temple Beth Or high school students—Ava Kuperman, Emma Lindsay, Natalie Taylor, Sara Zendlovitz—and I spent the weekend in Washington D.C at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center (RAC) L’taken Seminar, January 27 to 30. Our Temple teens gathered with […]

The recent passing of actress Debbie Reynolds just a day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, led to speculation that the mother died of a broken heart. Indeed, there is a condition called takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome) which can result from extreme stress, according to the American Heart Association. The condition can […]

Jews are known for many superstitions. We protect our homes with hamsas (a hand of God) and evil eye amulets; expectant parents wait to set up nurseries until after a baby is born, and don’t reveal its name until after the naming ceremony. We change the name of the sick or dying to try to […]