:וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽיםAnd Israel (Jacob) loved his son Joseph more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a fine woolen coat.Joseph’s story occupies a larger portion of the Torah than any individual patriarch. His narrative begins in Genesis 37, in this week's Torah portion, Vayeshev, and continues almost uninterrupted until the end of Genesis (Chapter 50). While the other patriarchs and matriarchs are named in our daily liturgy, this detailed, multi-chapter arc of Joseph’s life—including his dreams, betrayal of his brothers, rise to power in Egypt, and reconciliation with his family—receives more textual space in the Torah than any of our other earliest ancestors.Joseph, as mentioned above, is not only his father’s favorite, but clearly the Torah’s architects also intentionally favored his story through these many verses, reflecting perhaps the importance of Joseph’s role in [...]

Irving Berlin (1888-1989) was one of the most iconic American composers and songwriters of the 20th century. He was born as Israel Berlin in Tyumen, Russia, to a Jewish family that fled to the United States when he was just five years old to escape pogroms. As a student at the Hebrew Union College during my cantorial studies, our professors often referenced Berlin as the exemplary American Jewish composer, one who assimilated into–and co-created–American culture and still was always influenced by his Jewish heritage. While he is best known for secular and Americana songs like White Christmas and God Bless America, his Jewish background and immigrant experience profoundly shaped his worldview and, by extension, his music. Berlin grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a bustling hub of Jewish and other immigrant communities. Growing up in poverty, his early years were undoubtedly shaped by his family’s struggles to assimilate while also [...]

Parenthood is all about love and laughter until you’re staring down a third-grade math problem that somehow makes you question your entire education, or so I’ve been told. Last week, I finally heard those long-awaited words from my daughter for the first time, words every older friend has warned me about, words that I knew were inevitable: “Eema, I have a homework assignment tonight!”Fortunately for me, my daughter is in her final year at our Aaron Milken Center for Early Childhood Education and enjoying her second year of the Hebrew Immersion program (the only one of its type offered in the city of Los Angeles). Not only was the assignment clear, meaningful, and fun for both of us, I had an opportunity to share in her pride as she completed this seemingly small assignment, an enormous point of pride for her. Together, we read the Hanukkah story as written by [...]

The Jewish calendar and life cycle rituals offer us many opportunities for new beginnings: a new start after each Shabbat, new year celebrations for trees and harvests and spiritual resets, a time to reread the Torah each year, and moments to embrace the gifts of new life, new marriages, and new personal chapters. Our tradition continually makes space for us to consider that life is not stagnant, but rather, filled with endless possibilities for growth and transformation. With each new beginning comes the blessing of hope, the freedom to leave behind what no longer serves us, and the courage to restart and step into the unknown, into the beauty of starting anew. Yesterday, on the first day of the new week, Rabbi Yoshi and I had the opportunity–together with a great community of family and friends–to bless a new child of our Wise congregation, a new daughter named in [...]