Rabbi Cohen’s Writings

Dear Friends, This week’s portion, Parashat Emor, finds us well into the book of Leviticus. It opens with the familiar rhythm of laws—ritual, structure, and the sacred ordering of time—that defines so much of this book. And then, at the very end, the Torah shifts. Abruptly. Jarringly. After [...]

Apologies in advance for this Holy Day-length Shabbat message! Dear Friends, This week I found myself going back to a sermon I wrote almost twenty years ago. The sermon was about Israel, about misinformation, about delegitimization, and about the challenge of loving something that is imperfect. It was about the [...]

Dear Friends, A few weeks ago, I mentioned that some of my final Shabbat messages would include sources I turn to for Jewish learning and for staying informed. I want to share one that has recently captured my attention. A bit of background first. For the past two [...]

Dear Friends, We live in a moment where judgment comes quickly and often harshly. We see it in politics, on campuses, in public life—and, if we’re honest, at times within ourselves. Into that reality, Pirkei Avot, which we read between Passover and Shavuot, offers a teaching that feels almost [...]