Ask the Rabbi Blog
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Quick Bio: Rabbi Brad Horwitz joined the Jewish Community Center in 2005 to come run the J's Helene Mirowitz Department of Jewish Community Life. He graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary (New York) in 2000 but is orginally from Los Angeles, CA. In addition to his ordination he has a Master's in Jewish Education (MJE) and has leadership experience at many Jewish camps and day schools. Brad is a loving husband and proud father of three boys who has a penchant for cycling.
Please email any questions related to Judaism or Jewish Life and Rabbi Brad will post your question and a response on the blog.
Protecting the Environment on Tu B’shvat
Monday, January 9th, 2012February 8, 2012 is the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat and we mark the holiday of Tu B’shvat, the Jewish community’s equivalent to arbor day or earth day. This is the holiday that we celebrate the birthday of the trees. We take time to place a spotlight on nature, God’s creation, and the health of our planet
Hanukkah - The Festival of Lights
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011Hanukkah is called the Festival of Lights. How are you going to nourish the light of your own soul and share that light with others this holiday season?
A Jewish Thanksgiving
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011I often tell my school aged children that you can never say “please” or “thank you” too much. It doesn’t get too old and no one will ever fault you for giving thanks and showing appreciation. Actually, the more sense of appreciation and thanks one gives, the better. There is no better time to reinforce this message for ourselves and our children than Thanksgiving.
These values associated with Thanksgiving are also core Jewish values. Actually, there is a blessing for almost everything in the Jewish tradition to express our gratitude
Sukkot: Physical and Spiritual Protection
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011When the Israelites traveled in the wilderness they lived in temporary dwellings called huts or booths or sukkot. And in commemoration of that time in our Jewish past, we celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, this year set to begin Wednesday evening, October 12. God instructs the Jewish people in the Torah “For seven days you shall dwell in huts, every citizen in Israel shall dwell in huts, so that your generations know that I made the children of Israel dwell in huts when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.” Lev:23:33-44
Complete Repentance
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011Complete Repentance
During this season of the Jewish High Holidays, it is our responsibility to do tshuvah (repentance). Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur there are ten days called Aseret Yemei Tshuvah or the Ten Days of Repentance. It is this time when we focus on our sins and transgressions of the past year and ask for forgiveness. We ask God for forgiveness for the sins that we have committed and we also ask forgiveness from our fellow human beings who we have wronged either intentionally or unintentionally this past year. During this period some of us participate in the ritual known as Tashlich, where we go to a river, stream or lake and symbolically caste away our sins by throwing crackers or breadcrumbs out into the...
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