People often ask me, “Rabbi Brian, what does a rabbi do all day?” So I thought I would share most of my schedule for February 22 to 24: Drove 2 hours from St Paul in heavy snow and dark, after dropping off my son. 7 AM Gundersen Cardiology – ultrasound (Congratulations! It’s a rabbi!) Picked […]
ב”ה New Year’s Resolutions? Greetings, friends, and Happy New Year! There has been much talk about how 2021 just HAS to be an improvement over 2020. In many ways, that’s true. On one hand, there are plenty of toilet paper and paper towels available. On the other hand, all this time at home has motivated […]
ב”ה Norma Deborah Altman (Lebovitz) – Dvorah bat Leah v’Shmuel – passed away peacefully but reluctantly on December 25, 2020, at age 89. What follows is Norma’s obituary written by herself. Norma was born in Oak Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, on March 16, 1931 to Samuel and Lily (Contorer) Lebovitz. Norma lived in Chicago, […]
Friends, as this challenging year comes to an end, we can only hope for a better year ahead. This week’s Torah portion is Vayechi – “And Jacob lived”. Although that’s how the parsha begins, the parsha deals not with Jacob’s life, but his demise. This reminds us of another parsha, Chayei Sarah. Although it was […]
חג אורים שמח! Happy Chanukah, everyone! Wow, if there was ever a season when we need some lights to chase away the darkness, this is IT. We were so pleased to see the excellent turnout at our outdoor menorah lighting on Sunday night, December 13, the 4th night of Chanukah. Yes, my fingers […]