By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
“Life is what happens when we are doing the best we can.” That was the one thing I said during a home hospice visit that seemed to emotionally affect the relative to whom I was speaking. He had been talking about all the things he would have done differently t…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Political discussions at work often open with me sending someone a provocative quote from an article/e-mail I’ve read or a link to an online article of interest. The reply sometimes leads me to question my first thought. The most recent example led me to ponder t…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
He was my little brother, my baby and the light of my family’s life. Oh, he was also my fiancé, although my mother was not happy he chose me over her. (When she asked him why, he looked at her and said, “You Daddy.”) I am speaking of Lawrence “Larry” Esse…
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
The e-mail conversation occurred after I sent a coworker the headline “Brooklyn Pride interfaith service canceled, allegedly over host synagogue’s ‘pro-Israel positions.’” She wrote back wondering whether cancel culture was a good thing. While we all know …
By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
This past Memorial Day weekend, I continued a tradition my mom and I started years ago: we would visit Westlawn Cemetery, stopping by her parents, my father and my little brother’s graves first and then visiting family and friends located throughout the cemetery. …
