Claim OwnershipReal Rabbi NYC
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© Juliet Elkind-Cruz
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As a rabbi, I like keeping things real, whether about my life, or about Torah. And I do it all with a good helping of irreverence. I try to be both short and sweet, starting with my own life, my struggles, and those of the world today, and connecting to lessons I can take from Torah. My goal is to bring you the meaning I find with a new and relevant perspective as I discover it for myself, leaving you with a blessing or a prayer for the week each time.
127 Episodes
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It’s hard to live expansively these days, with an open heart and an open mind. But is it possible?
I’m more than a little bit worried about Passover this year due to the current events in Israel and Gaza. My own family is divided in terms of political opinions over this, and there’s a fair amount of tension around it. I’m sure I’m not alone. As it is, Passover gatherings can be fraught, as any family gathering, but especially when we’re used to bringing in current events to our Seder discussions. So how DO we? And what’s it got to do with the Parsha this week (if you care). Happy Passover to everyone, and Good Shabbos.
Just listen. There’s a lot here.
This time I share a beautiful poem and some thoughts about how it might be connected to the parsha, and I ask for your thoughts on how they might be linked.
Facing death with dignity, standing up for the right to do that and to be treated with care can be one of the hardest things, especially when doctors and family and friends intervene. What does Judaism have to say about this, and how do we live our highest values?
I officiated at a memorial service this week for a man who died too young of brain cancer. There were many lessons to be learned from the way he lived and the way he chose to die. Wittingly or unwittingly, he made mistakes. This week Torah tells us how to make expiation for our wrongdoings, but really stays on the surface. I go deep with this one—as I always intend. Take a listen!
Carlton Pearson was an Evangelical preacher turned heretic for preaching that hell is a human invention—one we don’t need any help creating for ourselves. He began preaching of a loving God of inclusion. I wonder how this lesson applies to me, or to us. I wonder how we as Jews are becoming the haters we accuse others of being.
Is it possible to be too generous? To give too much? In this episode, I tell the funny and fun story of a Ukrainian Jewish/interfaith Muslim wedding ceremony I officiated recently, and ask those questions. (Please leave a blessing in the comments section after you listen—or a comment will do as well; it will help more listeners find my podcast! And thanks!)
I heard a heartbreaking yet heartening story of a family from Kibbutz Be’eri on This American Life (Family Meeting is the name of the episode, released just this week). It gave me hope that, despite the trauma and fear, we can resist giving in to the hatred and anger, and maintain our ideals for a world where we can support each other and live together peacefully—where we don’t have to give in to the false gods that are the political forces that seek to keep us trapped.
Have you seen the show Resident Alien on Netflix? It’s really funny. It’s about an alien from outer space living among humans who thinks he is far superior to us. But he learns a thing or two about what makes humans special—our compassion—which we often forget to have, especially when we’re frightened. But politics capitalises on our fear for its advantage. The question yet again is how do we keep our compassion? And doesn’t the future of our species and our planet depend on it?
I did my first funeral last week! What a difficult situation it was. But it was full of gifts as well. So is this week’s parsha.
Last week, in anticipation of a meeting with an artist who’s been in Israeli counterterrorism his entire life, I had a panic attack. How could it be God’s plan for me to work with someone so opposite to me, my experiences, my history, my worldview? What I discovered is the answer to this question. I found sapphires!
The far religious leaders of Israel in favor of settlements on Palestinian land as agreed upon in the past, had a conference this past Sunday. They’re now pushing the idea of resettling Gaza. Meanwhile, in Torah this week, the Israelites receive the Ten Commandments. How are these connected? Listen and find out!
It’s been a while. But I’m back and ready to talk about the real issues -again. Uvalde mass shooting from 2022 and the justice department’s report, plus Gaza war…they have something in common as a lesson for us connected to Torah! Listen to find out, and leave a comment if you wish. I love to hear from my listeners!
When I recently watched the show Six Feet Under from the early 2000’s, I saw many similarities in the energy, plot, and lessons to what is happening today in the world and in Israel and Gaza, and the spiritual demands of our time. Listen to find out. I love dark humor, but this got very dark. Still, I was obsessed.
I’ve been stuffing down my feelings with food—tried and NOT true way to deal with difficult things. What is the right and righteous thing to do with the Israel/Gaza situation? How does Torah reflect our struggles? What side of history will we be on?
As the moon waxes to its maximum light this month, it’s hard to find the light among the bitterness and pain of death and destruction of the past weeks in Israel and Gaza. What does my voice need to express, what is my responsibility as a person, a Jew, a rabbi, in a time when what I have to say is unpopular with my tribe? How do Sarah and Angelina Grimke as abolitionists and suffragists inspire me?
I just returned from co-officiating at two interfaith weddings, and what an experience of joy and bringing people together that don’t normally interact so much. It felt like such holy work, and gave me so much hope for the future. And then the attacks came on Israel, and it all unraveled…listen here to my incredible experiences that I want so much to share with you. Leave a comment in the comments section, go to my website and contact me. Let’s talk.
It’s the end of a year, the end of a season, and the beginning of new ones. With the end of this Jewish year, I have an announcement to make for the coming year as I go through a transition. As I open to the still, small voice, I have decided that ater three years of weekly blogging, and I’m not sure how many weekly podcasts corresponding to the Parsha, I am making space and time for other things. Listen for the full story! Until soon!
What do you do when you’re working with a Christian minister and they don’t know how it feels to hear, “Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior”? And what part of this phrase are most problematic? And why? This week, through my own struggles and this week’s double Parasha, I take you on a journey of exploration and revelation. Just in time for Rosh Hashanah!
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