Parshat Miketz invites us to reflect on the human ability to discover light amid darkness and build hope even in the most challenging...

As parents, we often forget that our choices, our ways of being, our decisions—in short, our example—leave a lasting imprint on the minds...

How do we set aside past mistakes and work together with those who have hurt us? Parshat Vayishlach speaks to us fundamentally about...

Last week in Parashat Toldot, we asked why Isaac? Why was Isaac the second patriarch? Today, we ask the same question for Jacob. Why...

Why Itzchak and not Ishmael? Why Yaacov and not Esav? The emotional climax of this week's Torah portion, Parashat Toldot, is recorded in...

I have noticed your relatives’ names on the weekly yahrzeit list and wanted you to know that there are services every Shabbat with a...

For more than a year we haven’t stopped reading about the intensification of antisemitism globally. I’d say that it’s been especially...

Parshat Chayei Sarah begins with the story of Sarah's death and ends with the death of the one who is considered the founding father of...

This week’s parasha, Vayera, carries a powerful theme of continuity. It speaks explicitly about our role as a link in the chain, urging...

Lech Lecha Go forth from your land, from the place of your birth, from your father’s home to the land I will show you. I will give this...

The two predominant stories in this week’s parashah, the well-known story of Noah and the equally famous tale of the Tower of Babel,...

L’Shanah Tovah Umetukah, It’s a busy time for the office staff with the holiday preparations. We want to make sure all runs smoothly....

Sukkot, unlike the rest of the pilgrimage festivals, does not commemorate any specific historical event. On Sukkot, we rather celebrate...

In last month's edition of the Temple Times, I shared with you an interview with Francisco Gil White, a professor at ITAM, political...

It was the time between Musaf and Mincha on Yom Kippur, and young Daniel Shapiro went to see his Rabbi. "Rabbi Pollak, you must help me....

Gathering once again in this beautiful Sanctuary, in this Beit Kneset, a house of assembly for so many years and a synagogue that has...

The lazy days of summer were not so lazy! Many friends gathered at Symeon’s to wish Mundy a fond farewell after many years of dedication...

A few months ago, I was invited to a conference by Dr. James Zogby. It was an interesting and concerning experience for me because I...

On a flight to Buenos Aires, I once met a man who hugged me as if we had known each other our whole lives. I looked at him, and he...

A wealthy man left his office at the end of the day, as he usually did, and encountered a panhandler asking for alms.   "Five dollars in...