Rabbi Cohen’s Writings

Dear Friends, One of my favorite midrashim (rabbinic stories) describes the Israelites standing at the shore of the Reed Sea panicking. The water before them was deep and the Egyptian army was rapidly approaching. They were trapped. Moses, for his part, stood at the edge of the waters praying, [...]

Dear Friends, When I was in Rabbinic school in the late 1980s the world was far less inclusive. Few congregations openly welcomed members of the LGBTQ+ community. The question of whether or not rabbis should officiate at the weddings of same sex couples (often referred to as “commitment [...]

Dear Friends, As we mark the Festival of Shavuot, we celebrate our ancestors standing at Mt. Sinai and entering into the Brit, the covenant with God. As you may recall, when our ancestors first left Egypt they were free but did not yet understand what it meant to [...]

Dear Friends, Israel celebrated its 75th anniversary this past week. In and of itself, that is a remarkable achievement worthy of celebration. Sadly, some of the joy many may have felt was tempered by concerns over the ongoing “Judicial Reform” that is being pushed by the most extreme [...]