WORDS THAT BREATHE

On Yom Kippur morning, Matt, Alli, and Charlie Seigel took the bimah at Congregation Or Ami to tell their family's story — a childhood taunt on a ballfield, a mother's grief that led her home, and a Jewish star a daughter once took off and chose to put back on.

Congregation Or Ami united to support Scott Sorrentino’s search for a kidney donor, inspiring hope, compassion, and the power to save a life.

Why did God create us with two kidneys if one is enough? Through a rabbi’s imagination and a Jewish midrashic lens, this reflection explores how generosity may be built into us from the very beginning—and how one person’s gift can become another person’s miracle.

What happens when strangers gather for Shabbat? Around candlelight, challah, and conversation, homes become sacred space and community begin

When life feels faru’a - unrestrained and uncertain - Torah invites us to gather ourselves again. A reflection on Ki Tissa, leadership, the golden calf, grief, and the grounding wisdom of Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss.

Each seder gathered a constellation of color and courage: Blacks and Jews, Black Jews and people of color—Bishops and Rabbis, churches and synagogues, choir singing, and the cacophony of connection and contemplation— We were a veritable mosaic of Moses’ people, linking arms, lifting hearts, lamenting and loving in equal measure.

We sat around tables— round like the world we wished for, flat like the matzah we broke, layered like the stories we shared. Two seders....

Jazz was my sanctuary that night in Chicago. Michelle and I had slipped into the Jazz Showcase , where saxophonist Bobby Watson , the...

This week I said goodbye to my rabbi, my mentor, my friend. In that moment, I lost one of the great anchors of my life. Rabbi Stanley M....

A tribute to my rabbi, mentor, and friend, Stanley M. Davids, who died recently.

A jazz club. A Torah whisper. A T-shirt with a prophet’s promise. Reflections from the CCAR rabbinic convention on listening for the sacred in unexpected places—and improvising our way toward hope.

Love lives in the details—the small, intentional acts that show we care. Vayakhel teaches us that just as the Israelites built the Mishkan with devotion, we create holiness in our own lives through everyday gestures, like getting the right mustard and mayonnaise for my wife—because love, like faith, is best expressed in the language the other understands.

This week, I made a special trip to Gelson’s. Not for Shabbat flowers, not for wine, not even for the babka (though it took everything in...

When I was in elementary school, my mom took me to visit a fire station. I cannot remember if it was a family outing, a school trip or...

“Wow! God was in this place, and I did not know it.” So declared our biblical ancestor Jacob as he awoke from a dream. Once a deceiver...

This past Shabbat, I stood in two sacred spaces that illuminated the beauty, fragility and resilience of life. One moment, I found myself...

As parents, we spend years mastering the art of raising children. Guiding, protecting and nurturing them through childhood and...

Wow! God was in this place, and I did not know it.” Like Jacob, we often miss the Divine Presence all around us. This article explores how sand dollars, mezuzot, and nature help us rediscover the sacred in daily life.

Sitting on a Fire Truck: A story of overcoming shyness and self-doubt, embracing self-acceptance, and fulfilling a childhood dream of sitting on a firetruck at 61 years old

Parenting adult children requires new skills and a fresh perspective. Drawing from Torah wisdom, expert insights, and personal experiences, Rabbi Paul Kipnes explores the joys and challenges of this transformative phase. Discover how to foster deeper, more authentic connections with your adult children to support this sacred work.