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

A ritual for before dipping the karpas into the salt water, we pause to reflect on what it means to hold both sweetness and sorrow.

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.

We didn’t just play games. We practiced being Jewish. At Or Ami’s retreat, teens mentored younger campers through “Deal or No Deal,” Human Scrabble, and a Jewish Olympic torch ceremony, learning to balance nitzachon with chesed. In a moment of rising antisemitism, that kind of joyful Jewish leadership matters.

What kind of country and world, do we want our children to grow up in? A Torah-based reflection on dignity, leadership, and the image of God

Friends, in just a few moments we will rise for Kaddish. Before we do, I need ten minutes of holy honesty. These past weeks, many of us have watched events unfold in Minneapolis and beyond, and we have felt the ground shift under our feet. We have said the names Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, and we have struggled with the same question echoing in so many Jewish hearts: How can this be happening here, and what does our Jewish tradition ask of us now? This is not a partisan question. It is...

On a weekend of Torah, baseball, and Halloween, three stories intertwine—each asking what it means to step forward with courage and faith. As the Dodgers chase glory, children wander in costume, and Abram and Sarai heed the call Lech L’cha, we find that when the world plays tricks, Torah still offers treats: hope, blessing, and the sweetness of showing up again.

Even baseball can be holy. A Shabbat Prayer for the Dodgers turns “Play Ball” into “Amen” and the ballpark into sacred space. ⚾️✨

In a fearful world, Judaism still calls us to bring blessing into brokenness. Rabbi Paul Kipnes asks: What does it mean to be a Jew today?