By popular request, I am sharing a recording of the virtual study session I offered this morning, as the sun came up, as part of the all-night global Shavuot 28 hour learning event (to learn more, click here). In this PowerPoint presentation, I talk about the spiritual healing practices of this holiday which celebrates revelation, … Continue reading Decolonizing Leil Shavuot: A Torah of Healing Liberation
Tag: #rabbisiritsky
My Shavuot Article and Next Week’s Global Shavuot Educational Session
Shavuot Article I was honored to have my reflections on published in the May 31, 2024 edition of the Louisville Jewish Community's Newspaper where I shared, briefly, some of my thoughts on what it means to decolonize Judaism. I was only given 700 words, so it is just an overview, but scroll down, and you … Continue reading My Shavuot Article and Next Week’s Global Shavuot Educational Session
First National Queer Interfaith Service (Virtual)
Today, Thursday, June 6th, in a few hours (8PM Atlantic/7PM Eastern/8:30 PM NFLD), I am deeply humbled and grateful to be able to help facilitate the first national interfaith pride service led by queer interfaith clergy/community leaders. It is organized and led by the brand new and still growing Queer Interfaith Coalition that, while we … Continue reading First National Queer Interfaith Service (Virtual)
Introducing The Light Seekers: New Monthly Jewish Spirituality Group
I am excited to announce a new monthly spirituality study and discussion group- for people thinking of joining the Jewish people, people who recently have and for people who are born Jewish but who are searching for new ways for it to be meaningful given their progressive critical thinking stance on life. I am calling … Continue reading Introducing The Light Seekers: New Monthly Jewish Spirituality Group
Decolonizing the Omer Counting: Day 5 Reflections on Healing
Today is day 5 of the Omer count as we seek to integrate the following two spiritual qualities: hod (humility) and hesed (loving-kindness or compassion). The theme of this week is to begin integrate "hesed" or Loving-Kindness into every aspect of ourselves and, in so doing, in the Universe. In this we understand the idea … Continue reading Decolonizing the Omer Counting: Day 5 Reflections on Healing
Counting the Omer: Day One of the Healing Journey
Tonight is the first night of the counting of the Omer, a spiritual practice designed to help us in our healing journey from the liberation of Passover to the revelation of Shavuot. For the next 49 days we will reflect upon the ways that G!d's Light shines through us and into this world. The extent … Continue reading Counting the Omer: Day One of the Healing Journey
Passover Seder: 5784 Edition
Tonight, from across the world, we had folks from multiple continents joining our seder, some from their sofas and others streaming to a full room. Tonight was the two year anniversary of the birth of my virtual community, and so it was especially meaningful to me as I am finally begin to discern the direction … Continue reading Passover Seder: 5784 Edition
My six month prayer for healing
It has been six months since October 7th. Six months ago: everything changed. Our broken, traumatized/traumatizing and divisive world became even more terrifying and polarizing. We have turned on one another and on ourselves and against others in ways that are splitting and dissociative and lethal. Our hearts and souls have been crushed... our trauma … Continue reading My six month prayer for healing
The Torah of Easter Sunday and Transgender Day of Visibility
Today is both Transgender Day of Visibility and also Easter Sunday. As a Jew, Easter Sunday is not a religious holiday that ought to impact me, but not one Easter has passed in my entire life that I have not been impacted by it in some way. So it is for all non-Christian minorities in … Continue reading The Torah of Easter Sunday and Transgender Day of Visibility
The Shabbat Before Purim – Service
There were several people who requested a copy of the Shabbat evening service that I led on Friday night, therefore I am sharing it, along with my prayers for a truly joyful and blessed Purim for next year 5785/2025. https://videopress.com/v/4uTDEGDY?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true
Unmasking the Oy in our Purim Joy: and the Joy in the Oys of our world
Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim: the joyful holiday that is sometimes compared to Hallowe'en or Mardi Gras because it involves dressing up and a significant amount of festive partying. There are many lesser known facts about the day and lots of rituals and foods and traditions to study. It is considered a joyful … Continue reading Unmasking the Oy in our Purim Joy: and the Joy in the Oys of our world
The Shabbat Before Purim: Praying for tikkun/spiritual alchemy
Today is the lesser known Jewish holy day of Ta'anit Esther: the fast of Esther before the festival of Purim that celebrates the transformation of the threat of genocide into the moment of revelation as Queen Esther found the courage to speak out. But today, it became one of the most observed holidays of the … Continue reading The Shabbat Before Purim: Praying for tikkun/spiritual alchemy
New Years and New Beginnings
I often talk about how time itself is colonized. For Jews, it is the year 5784, not 2024. The words BC and AD correspond to the years of Jesus' birth and the Gregorian calendar is based upon Pope Gregory's understanding of time. Jews have been counting time for 5784 years. We also understand that time … Continue reading New Years and New Beginnings
Queer Interfaith Coalition Launch Video
I am grateful and honored to be part of a growing group of interfaith leaders joining together across Canada to reclaim the religious voice and advocate for the human rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. As of right now, over one hundred leaders and more than twenty different faith traditions have signed on, including at least one … Continue reading Queer Interfaith Coalition Launch Video
My sermon at a Baptist church in Kentucky on how Hebrew Grammar can heal us all
I often talk about the deep theological teachings of Hebrew Grammar, as understood through the mystical teachings of Kabbalah. Hebrew, like many Indigenous languages, is verb-based and focuses upon relationship and fluidity in a way that English, as a noun-based language, is unable to convey. There is so much about Judaism's ancestral values and teachings … Continue reading My sermon at a Baptist church in Kentucky on how Hebrew Grammar can heal us all
My Article on Interfaith Marriage: A Blessing Waiting to Be Blessed
Due to popular request, I am resharing this article that I wrote. It was first published in 2009 and then again in 2013 in The Reform Advocate, which was the publication of the Society for Classical Reform Judaism, an organization which I helped to start in 2008, as part of my long-held advocacy for an … Continue reading My Article on Interfaith Marriage: A Blessing Waiting to Be Blessed
Queer Interfaith Coalition Launch
I am incredibly proud, grateful, humbled and heartened to be able to announce the launch of a new movement of queer clergy and community leaders, joined by straight and cis-gendered clergy/community leader allies who are joining together (tomorrow!) to reclaim the religious voice that has been weaponized to support 2SLGBTQIA+ hate. Please scroll down for … Continue reading Queer Interfaith Coalition Launch
Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender: A Video Lecture
I was deeply honored by the opportunity to present virtually last week on the topic "Our evolving understanding of G!d and Gender" as part of a six part educational series organized by Kolot Mayim Temple. This was an opportunity for me to share my own evolving understanding of these complex topics in light of Kabbalah … Continue reading Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender: A Video Lecture
My Two-Eyed Prayer for Peace
This blog post reflects my ongoing prayer for peace, and my attempts to advocate for it. First, I want to explain (for all those who live south of the colonial border that divides Turtle Island/North America) some concepts about Truth and Reconciliation that are less well-known in the United States. Then I am sharing a … Continue reading My Two-Eyed Prayer for Peace
Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender: Reflections on the healing power of Joy
I am honored and grateful for to have been invited to speak at Kolot Mayim Reform Temple's Building Bridges virtual speaker series on the theme of L'dor V'dor: From Generation to Generation. I hope you will join me on Sunday, March 3rd at 3PM Atlantic (3:30 PM NFLD/2PM Eastern/11 AM Pacific Time), on "Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender". I look forward … Continue reading Our Evolving Understanding of G!d and Gender: Reflections on the healing power of Joy
Healing our upside down world: Tu Bishvat Sabbath Prayer Service
Last Friday night, our growing Chavurah Collective gathered, some together over a potluck, with the services streaming over a crowded dinner table, while others, chilling comfortably with a glass of wine or a cup of tea, on their sofas or gathered at their computers and chatting with one another during the worship service... reveling in … Continue reading Healing our upside down world: Tu Bishvat Sabbath Prayer Service
The Two-Year Anniversary of the Conversion Ban
Today is the two-year anniversary of the criminalization of conversion “therapy” in Canada. I use the word “therapy” in quotation marks because it is NOT therapy, although therapists and others may try to use that term. Calling it “therapy” actually makes the profoundly dangerous practice even more potentially lethal. It is part of a broader … Continue reading The Two-Year Anniversary of the Conversion Ban
A Blueprint for Healing: The Holiness of the Words we use and the Liberating/Decolonizing Questions we ask
This past Shabbat, Jews around the world began studying the biblical book of Exodus, by immersing ourselves in the Torah Portion (assigned biblical reading) of the week. The first section is called: Shemot, which literally means "names" and corresponds to the beginning of the story of Exodus, as the Children of Israel awaken to their … Continue reading A Blueprint for Healing: The Holiness of the Words we use and the Liberating/Decolonizing Questions we ask
The Light Seekers’ Shabbat and Hanukkah Prayer Service
Tonight, we gathered together, a community of Light Seekers (Darshei Ohr), a collection of communities and individuals... searching out the blessing of Shabbat and the promise of Hanukkah miracles. We prayed, in the decolonizing way of the Chavurah Collective, starting from the prayers for the dead (kaddish) and working our way to the kindling of … Continue reading The Light Seekers’ Shabbat and Hanukkah Prayer Service
Prayer for Peace
I was asked to speak at a ceasefire rally which is being held at the exact same time as I am also scheduled to meet with several members of government, along with doctors and community leaders and other interfaith representatives, to beg for mercy for all the human lives that are being killed at this … Continue reading Prayer for Peace
Reform Judaism in Atlantic Canada has Grown into The Chavurah Collective
It is said in the Talmud that a rabbi should always have a job that is not being a rabbi, so that they do not compromise Torah for the sake of their livelihood. I am blessed to have an amazing job working as a social worker. I now get to be a rabbi "l'shem shmayim" … Continue reading Reform Judaism in Atlantic Canada has Grown into The Chavurah Collective
Praying for canaries in coal mines
This Shabbat, the Jewish world's sacred text was Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32; Isaiah 54:1-10) which describes the story of Noah and the story of Babel. Noah built an ark to survive the great flood, and as soon as the earth was dry, he planted a vineyard, got drunk and engaged in incest. The moral of the … Continue reading Praying for canaries in coal mines
Praying our way back to Light
After a week of terror and horror, we gathered together seeking a few moments of breath and hope in the midst of the unfolding and unrelenting violence and senseless cruelty. We gathered in solidarity, from unceded Mi'kma'ki, with beautiful people from around the world who joined us... either from my former congregations (including the other … Continue reading Praying our way back to Light
Yom Kippur Afternoon and Neilah (closing) Prayer Services (5784/2023)
Given how many requests I have had for a video of the services that I lead for the community I started "Reform Judaism in Atlantic Canada: Decolonizing Judaism in Mi'kma'ki and Beyond", I have begun recording our services. I understand that not everyone is able to attend services at the time that they are held … Continue reading Yom Kippur Afternoon and Neilah (closing) Prayer Services (5784/2023)
Yom Kippur Yizkor (Memorial) Service (5784/2023)
Given how many requests I have had for a video of the services that I lead for the community I started "Reform Judaism in Atlantic Canada: Decolonizing Judaism in Mi'kma'ki and Beyond", I have begun recording our services. I understand that not everyone is able to attend services at the time that they are held … Continue reading Yom Kippur Yizkor (Memorial) Service (5784/2023)
Erev Yom Kippur: Kol Nidrei
Abiding gratitude to all who requested a copy of tonight's service and to all who sent so many lovely notes of appreciation for the Rosh Hashanah morning service. Given how many requests I have received from folks who had family obligations and were unable to attend, I recorded tonight's service. I am therefore posting for … Continue reading Erev Yom Kippur: Kol Nidrei
Lessons from my closet for the Days of Awe
This blog begins with an apology to those who subscribe and got emails with earlier versions that did not say what I meant to say. Apologies for yet another repeat- this is yet another updated version of an unfinished Torah that keeps continuing to evolve as I keep discarding old understandings that I slowly understand … Continue reading Lessons from my closet for the Days of Awe
Rosh Hashanah Morning Services
With today's hurricane and power outages impacting so many, and in response to the many requests for recordings I have gotten (not just for today, but in general- sometimes people are working when services are held or otherwise unable to join but yearning for Shabbat services on their own schedule), I am uploading this morning's … Continue reading Rosh Hashanah Morning Services
Introducing the Chevruta Project
The Hebrew language is called "Lashon HaKodesh" (=the holy language). Jews believe that G!d used Hebrew words to create the universe: as the book of Genesis says, "G!d spoke and the world came into being". According to the rabbis, words have the power to create or destroy. If we use our words to cause someone's … Continue reading Introducing the Chevruta Project
My Sermon: Queering is Redeeming
I was deeply honored to speak on Ash Wednesday at Queer Spirit Church in Halifax, which feels like the ultimate act of queering: a rabbi speaking in a Baptist church, that hosts an emerging queer community of faith, on Ash Wednesday. I reflect upon these apparent contradictions, as part of my larger life's mission to … Continue reading My Sermon: Queering is Redeeming
Who are the true believers?
Many years ago my daughter spoke a truth so powerful that I believe it has the potential to dismantle the oppressive chains of those who claim to be religious yet espouse a theology of hatred: "If G!d is Love, and two people love each other, and others say that they don't believe in the love … Continue reading Who are the true believers?
Queering is Redeeming
When I was invited to speak at Queer Spirit Church, I was profoundly moved by the opportunity to share with a Christian faith community insights from my faith tradition. As a second generation Holocaust survivor, I feel like I am honoring my ancestors who died so that I could live. This is at the core … Continue reading Queering is Redeeming
Emerging Torah as Rabbi Nachshon emerges 