Rabbi Cohen’s Writings

Dear Friends, Among the troubling aspects of last week’s hostage situation in Texas, and there are many, was the call the perpetrator insisted Rabbi Cytron-Walker, the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, make to Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue in New York. The call is indicative of just [...]

Dear Friends, Next week we will mark Tu Bi’Shvat -- the 15th of the month of Shvat. Known as “The Birthday of the Trees,” its meaning and purpose, like so much in Judaism, has evolved over time. In antiquity, Tu Bi’Shvat was used to determine the age of trees [...]

Dear Friends, One of the first stories I can recall learning as a child was the familiar tale of the scorpion and the frog. One day, the story goes, a scorpion set out on a journey but was stuck upon reaching the bank of a river. As he [...]

Dear Friends, There is no question the new year of 2022 will be filled with challenges. The pandemic, the climate crisis, the rise in antisemitism, and the state of society in our nation are just a few of the issues we will fac​​​​​​​e. But today, as we close [...]