Rabbi Adir Yolkut and I took a little time to reflect on the attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, and talk about some of the Torah that is helping us process and hold this moment as we enter Hanukkah. youtu.be/liwB4wo59xk

The people who actually need to do the soul searching at this moment are unable of doing so. They are incapable and unwilling to see how their voices combine to create violence against Jews. I don't know the reason. Some of it is just Jew hatred, some of it is ignorance, carelessness.

To my fellow Yidden, today is going to be a lot. Like a lot a lot. I feel it too. It is important to take care of yourself. You can and should take breaks from the news, play with your kids, spend time with friends and family. There’s a trauma black hole waiting for you, so you must be vigilant.

Remember: The Bondi Beach Hanukkah event was FOR FAMILIES. They attacked Jewish kids.

In 2018, a Shabbat attack in Pittsburgh. 2023, a Simchat Torah attack in Israel. 2025, a Yom Kippur attack in the UK. And 2025 again, a Hanukkah attack in Australia. There were more attacks before and in between these. But the pattern of attacking Jews on our holidays is abundantly clear.

I'm only 29 subscribers from my Youtube goal! Help an internet rabbi?

By the way, if you need a refresher, I've got you. youtu.be/KZGF5oW6KVE

Shabbat shalom! Gates of Heaven Are Everywhere | Parashat Vayetzei youtu.be/0ELYOZqAAAQ

Tonight is one of the deepest moments of כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה that I have ever experienced. Even sitting in my own home I can feel it in the air.

I’m holding my breath But I’m not turning blue I’m turning Blue and White חוזרים הביתה

I'm going to be teaching an 8-session Talmud class in person in the DC area starting in a few weeks. It will cover interesting sections inspired by or connected to the weekly Torah portion. If you're in the area! Lemme know, I can send you the details! It would be fun to learn together in person!

Moedim L'simchah!

Holy shit

Sukkot is Monday night!

I can say definitively that my Judaism has changed. It has changed in a thousand tiny ways. What does it all mean? Only time will tell.

Bookmark this for next week!

I’m going to say this once: The Jews know we’re living in fascist times. We fucking told you this was going to happen. Don’t come to use to tell us we don’t care enough. You’re wrong. You all made this problem, not us. We’ll do our part without your insistence. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

If the Yamim Noraim are a mountain, Yom Kippur is its peak. Rosh Hashanah begins the climb with anticipation and hope, and Sukkot resolves the journey with joy and celebration.

Studying Torah in a coffeeshop is healing.

If this is useful to you!

Shavuah tov! It was a decent sizzle. IYKYK

Shabbat shalom and shana tovah!

Ok, it is officially 5786. How are you investing in your Judaism and Jewish community this year? What goals can you set? What learning would you like to do? I guess I'm talking New Year's Resolutions.

In the new year, we’re not engaging with trolls and those who would selfishly take our energy. No wasting time getting into meaningless arguments with strangers online. The new year is about community. Engage intentionally my friends.

To a better year. Shana tova!

I was thinking of putting together a short Torah learning podcast this year aligned with the weekly Torah portion. Would you personally listen to a thing like that? If so, what do you feel is missing from that space?

Which of these two thumbnails do you like better for my new Rosh Hashanah video? It is about how to do Kiddush on Erev Rosh Hashanah. I'm testing both of them.

Are you looking to support your friendly neighborhood internet rabbi? If so, I invite you to check out (and subscribe) on my YouTube channel!

Here's why I keep using the word fascist:

Are you feeling a sense of uncertainty? How can we find stability? Here's some Torah I think can help.

Have they blamed Jews for Kimmel yet?

Remember that fascists cannot deal with comedians. Humor and satire undermines them. That’s why they’ve targeted Kimmel and Colbert. Fascists have the thinnest skins. They pretend to be strong, but it is always an act.

Yesterday, I taught a session about the uncertainty we might (definitely) be feeling both internally and externally, and how we can respond to it in this moment. Honestly, it was the Torah I needed to hear, too.

Ahad Ha’am said, “More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” Regardless if this is true, this is the energy I’m bringing into my Shabbat this week. Shabbat shalom!

Ahad Ha’am said, “More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” Regardless if this is true, this is the energy I’m bringing into my Shabbat this week. Shabbat shalom!

I have never been so certain of the importance of learning Hebrew for the Jewish people as a whole. My modern Hebrew is decent, could be better. And, I’ve rededicated myself to it as of late. 1/2

I’ve been reflecting deeply on the concept of עמיות, peoplehood. This feels like underexplored space right now. Deeply felt, under-articulated. Does that resonate?

How many times can we tell you that Substack is a problem?

My care for the US is non-partisan. My care for Israel is also non-partisan. I think some of what the government is doing is wrong, illegal, and immoral. I believe people who do those things should be held accountable. I also believe that it can be better than it is. 1/x

Remember that an algorithm controls what you see on this platform (and almost every platform). Be wary of this. It is designed to show you what you engage with and what is most likely to make you engaged. Take time to get outside of it. Actively search for information beyond it. 1/2

Standing Together is an incredible organization so I am donating to help them in their work. If you also feel as I do, link below for the crowdfunding campaign! causematch.com/standing_tog...

Let your heartbreak lead to empathy, not extremism.

I invite those who find it exhausting to argue with antisemites online to explore these alternatives instead: 1/2

The greatest decision we can make as consumers of news is have a little patience. Headlines aren’t the whole story. One report is not the whole story. Corroboration matters. Facts matter.

May Gazans get the food they need. May the hostages come home. May Hamas give up. May the war be ended, quickly. May the heartbreak end. A new future can be charted. A new dawn is possible. I refuse to give up hope.

On almost every subject, the more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn. The very human desire for things to be simple is so reasonable. Our brains want to have those patterns that we can apply and reapply as we encounter more.

Too much of online discourse can be summarized to: "nu'uh, you are." It is worth our time, effort, and energy to reflect on who we are, what we believe, and how we wish to act in the world.

Stop treating people like symbols in your ideology. Humans and history are more complicated than that. No group or individual represents the totality of the *thing* in your ideology you oppose because life and people don’t work that way. When you flatten everything, nothing has meaning.