From the Executive Editor

In My Own Words: An unusual beginning to 5783

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

I did two unusual things in September: for the first time in at least 40 years, I did not attend services or pray during Rosh Hashanah. I also posted about the death of a relative on Facebook, something I’ve never done before. Both of these things occurred becaus…

In My Own Words: Culture shock

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

I couldn’t believe it. That one sentence completely overthrew what I’d known as a fact since childhood. What could have caused such culture shock? It was a simple statement in the latest issue of the AARP’s magazine. I was skimming an article about dentistry …

In My Own Words: Divide and conquer

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

“We need to grab our piece of the pie.” That worldview suggests that there are limited resources and, if someone else gets a piece of that pie, there will be less for us. It also means that we are always in competition for every resource, and therefore we shoul…

In My Own Words: My continuing journey with a CI

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

If I ever doubted I had a computer attached to my skull, the letter I received in June 2021 made it clear. Cochlear, the company that makes my cochlear implant, sent a letter to everyone who used a particular version of one of its CIs that it was no longer going to…

In My Own Words: Freedom to, freedom from

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of gr…