President's Blog

My Shortest Trip to Israel

March 6, 2013 — Rabbi David Hartman was a larger than life figure. Rooted in Orthodox practice and belief, he pushed the boundaries of Jewish thought, articulating a covenantal theology of partnership and love. As an Orthodox rabbinical student and a then a young rabbi, David Hartman was a model for me of someone who was devoted to the tradition, passionate about Jewish law and thought, and striving for a creative, contemporary theology that responded to the challenges and opportunities of pluralism and the State of Israel. > Read full post

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Toward Creativity: A Theological Goal for Jewish Education

Nov. 1, 2012 — I have been contemplating the need for a theology of Jewish education which would ground the goals of Jewish education in an understanding of Judaism’s religious telos. It seems to me that Jewish education should inspire and equip us to achieve the deepest aspirations of Judaism. > Read full post

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An Interfaith Vision for America

Jan. 22, 2013 — The remarkable confluence of President Obama’s second inaugural celebration and the national holiday marking Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday led me to think about the place of religious pluralism in America. I listened to President Obama’s inaugural address at noon, and as I was driving back to Boston from New York City, I listened again to MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech that was broadcast on the local radio. I was struck, as I have been in the past, with the concluding sentence of King’s famous speech. > Read full post