Posts in Rabbi Misha
The Menorah

by Rabbi Misha

The way we tell the Hanukkah story has the power to shape how the next generation will think about Judaism. It’s been told in many different ways, with the emphasis changing from one generation to the next to fit the political needs, philosophical spirit and general zeitgeist of the times.

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Rabbi MishaThe New Shul
Living in the Entrance

by Rabbi Misha

Two years ago, a guest at our Shabbat service from Women for Afghan Women, Nilab Nusrat shared with us memories of how back in Afghanistan, her father used to invite poor people into their home for dinner.


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Rabbi MishaThe New Shul
Meet Ben Gvir

by Rabbi Misha

I try to avoid electoral politics in my writing. I’m not a political authority of any type. But this week’s election in Israel carries both cultural and spiritual messages that are relevant to American Jews, and offer lessons for Americans in general.


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Rabbi MishaThe New Shul
Open That Window

by Rabbi Misha

Like a switch that’s been clicked, the season of opening windows has arrived in New York. The heat isn’t bouncing off the sidewalks, the AC is relaxing, the sweet disruption of summer abates.

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Rabbi MishaThe New Shul
The Foodie Challenge

by Rabbi Misha

It’s all about food at the end of the day. All the big concepts, the word of God, four thousand years of history, Holocausts and survival, all of it boils down to what we eat or don’t eat.

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Rabbi MishaThe New Shul
Before I Came to Be

by Rabbi Misha

The last weeks of summer are a primordial state of mind. Summer has happened. The year is over, but the next one has yet to begin. We yawn our way through the yawn-like days waiting to be reborn, thrown back into the world.

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Rabbi MishaThe New Shul