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A Maryland-based community for adults seeking the joy and meaning of Judaism.
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Finding Comfort After Grief
When we are struck with grief, there are stories and verses in our tradition to pull us out of the depths.
Confronting our Enemies: King David's Legacy
King David confronts enemies in every imaginable way - foreign powers, family members, former friends, and displaced royals. What can we learn from the King in how we deal with adversaries in our own lives?
Am I Jewish?
Identification as a Jew comes through many different modalities: covenant, associations, group identity and conversion.
Serving Beyond the Mission: when dutiful performance (a mitzvah) becomes a sin.
Whether soldiers or civil servants, duty is limited by higher moral authority.
Sexual Ethics
What if Friends of Jeffrey were held to the standards of Jewish law?
Legacy: Is that all there is?
How do we reflect on our life's work and accomplishments? When does our life become legacy?
God as Stranger
Reflections on how we exclude people from our community, with an understanding of God as the ultimate stranger.
Democratic Leadership and Jewish Identity
How does Judaism blend democratic principles with Jewish guidance on governance?
Humility
Humility may be lacking in both political and religious realms, but our tradition teaches us to be modest and respectful in prayer, in leadership, and in our interactions
AI and Halachah: The Pit, The Ox, and The Fire
With two examples of the use of Artificial Intelligence, we explore how Jewish law remains relevent to modernity.
No Person is Illegal
How do we apply Jewish values regarding the immigrant to our present-day experiences with immigration and boarder policy?
The Ladder of Temptation: Bad Behavior in Public Spaces
The fire of desire is destructive and comparable to the evil inclination. How do we respond to the inclination toward evil, especially when the person is a public figure?
The Internet and Jewish Ethics
Exploring Jewish ethical principles that might guide how we approach the internet and artificial intelligence.
Don't Look Back
Lot's wife is punished because she is stuck in the past and cannot move into the future.
Protest
Why must we protest injustice? Torah and Talmud demonstrate that we need to be proactive to protect the world and its inhabitants, on scales grand and small.
The Challenge of Forgiveness
What are the requisites to forgiveness, the other side of repentance?
Rebuke You, Humble Me
Based upon teaching by R' Beth Levy at Hadar's Rabbinic Institute, 2025, an exploration of the obligation to rebuke and the possible exceptions or guideposts.
I've Seen Fire . . .
The fire that destroys is the fire that also can refine. How do we have faith through the fire?