Welcome to our website and blog. Thanks for joining us on this still new and unfolding adventure in human communication.

Whether you are young enough to have been born web connected or old enough to remember the electric typewriter as a minor miracle we hope you will always find our postings and podcasts thoughtful, frequently inspirational and occasionally provocative.

This enterprise is well rooted in Jewish Tradition. The Talmud can be understood as a pre-electronic blog with central ideas branching off in all directions and a plethora of voices commenting all around. Podcasts join today’s spoken word to the timeless sacred discussion that is Judaism. This medium is another way to continue the human conversation that began with Eve and Adam and the Jewish discourse that emanates from Sinai and is called Torah.

The three goals of this website, in no particular order, are:

• To share my “take” on the affairs of the Jewish people and all humanity through the lens of Jewish Tradition and from my vantage point as an American congregational rabbi.
• To reflect on Jewish texts, traditions and Holy Days so as to imbue today with the timeless truths of Judaism.
• To give us all a Jewish place to share our thoughts on the ideas and issues that are important to our lives.

My obligation is to post on tough subjects in a way that is Jewish and non-partisan but, in cases of human rights, anti-Semitism or the existence of the State of Israel – the “gloves” may come off.

Your commitment is to join the conversation respectfully - even if we don’t agree. Rude, vulgar, threatening, racist or bigoted comments will not be published. Unattributed rumors are lashon ha-ra – evil speech and will not be posted, except for the purpose of refuting them.

Thanks to our congregation, Temple Emanu El in Orange Village, Ohio, Chad Barr and the folks at CB Software Systems for their support and encouragement of this project.

Please return often to consider what is said here and to respond with your thoughts, agreement, disagreement and most of all with your questions. B’ezrat HaShem - with God’s Help we will be engaging in discussion that is always, LShem Shamayim – for heavenly and holy purpose.

Rabbi Steve Denker