![An Environmental Journey](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Matt_Berkowitz_updated_headshot-300x300.jpg)
An Environmental Journey
Oct 14, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Sukkot
One of my sweetest memories as a rabbinical student at The Jewish Theological Seminary relates to the holiday we welcome this week, Sukkot.
Read More![Expelling Our Own Scapegoats](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Matt_Berkowitz_updated_headshot-300x300.jpg)
Expelling Our Own Scapegoats
Oct 3, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Yom Kippur
This coming Shabbat culminates the period of ‘aseret yemei teshuvah, the 10 days of repentance, as we commemorate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Read More![Teshuvah: Seeking the Hidden Face of God](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Matt_Berkowitz_updated_headshot-300x300.jpg)
Teshuvah: Seeking the Hidden Face of God
Sep 26, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Ha'azinu | Shabbat Shuvah
This coming Shabbat, the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is known as Shabbat Shuvah, the “Sabbath of Return.”
Read More![From Reflection to Appreciation](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Matt_Berkowitz_updated_headshot-300x300.jpg)
From Reflection to Appreciation
Sep 12, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Ki Tavo
Having underscored the role of memory at the conclusion of last week’s parashah (remembering the cruelty of Amalek), the Torah now accentuates the importance of appreciation in Parashat Ki Tavo.
Read More![The Miracle of Hanukkah](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/david_hoffman-300x300.jpg)
The Miracle of Hanukkah
Dec 27, 2008 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Hanukkah
Stories have great power. We tell stories about ourselves and about our communities because they give our lives meaning, and they help us navigate between the past and the future. We use stories to help us make sense of the world and our place in it. Not far behind the seemingly innocent plots of many of the stories we tell about our community’s religious history lie profound existential truths addressing our most pressing religious concerns.
Read More![Singing of Freedom](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ackerman_david-rotated-e1666882446282.jpg)
Singing of Freedom
Oct 9, 2008 By David M. Ackerman | Commentary | Tishah Be'av | Yom Kippur
Maya Angelou’s celebrated poem, “Caged Bird” (Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing. Random House, 1983) has long inspired me, especially at this time of the year. Grippingly, the poem contrasts “a free bird [who] dares to claim the sky” with “a bird that stalks down his narrow cage,” a creature of limited vision and range. Although the “caged bird stands on the grave of dreams,” he still has longing in his heart.
Read More![The Meaning of the Shmurah Matzah](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Matt_Berkowitz_updated_headshot-300x300.jpg)
The Meaning of the Shmurah Matzah
Apr 18, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Pesah
One of the centerpieces of seder night is the eating of matzah, the unleavened bread.
Read More![Approaching The King](https://www.jtsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Nancy-Abramson-300x300.jpg)
Approaching The King
Sep 9, 2014 By Nancy Abramson | Short Video | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur
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