blogs/rabbigoldberg

While the holiday of Shavuot in Jewish tradition is associated with the giving of the Torah, the initial meaning of the holiday was connected to the agricultural cycle in the land of Israel. In particular, Shavuot was associated with the beginning of the wheat harvest and the practice of bringing the first fruits from any field of wheat as an offering to the Temple. The ritual was performed en masse by every single farmer in ancient Israel,...Read more...

I had the great pleasure this week to visit the Thomas Edison Elementary School in Port Chester, along with a few other local clergy who are new to the area. I was very impressed by what I saw: a well-run school where children are learning and growing. As you may know, the schools in Port Chester face some significant challenges. The population of Edison Elementary is about 90% Latino, including many recent immigrants and English language...Read more...

It's my honor to be here today in support of Hadassah. I also extend my congratulations to Dodo Friedman, who is a devoted member of my synagogue, Congregation KTI. Dodo, I love seeing your quiet smile every Shabbat. It is my honor to be celebrated with you today and to be your rabbi. When Kathy Salom asked me if I would agree to be honored this year, I immediately said yes. She thought that this chapter was merely honoring one of the new...Read more...

Among the commentary and news items that circulate leading up to each major Jewish holiday, one piece stood out. [Available here: https://forward.com/life/faith/422792/american-jewish-teens-passover-seder/ ] Dr. Arielle Levites is a scholar of Jewish education, and she and her colleague Dr. Liat Sayfan recently completed a soon to be published study about today's Jewish teenagers. They surveyed more than 17,000 American Jewish teens, the largest...Read more...

In my life prior to KTI, I spend many years as a student, first college and then rabbinical school. Part of that lifestyle meant that I was constantly moving. In fact, every nine months or so, or sometimes even more frequently, would I pack up all of my belongings and go somewhere else, including moving to Israel and back twice. There were times in rabbinical school when for various personal and professional reasons I would be away from home...Read more...