Election Day 2022, and the Single Issue Voter
It is a fine needle to thread as a clergy person in our political climate today. I believe strongly that religion has no place in...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 1, 2022
- 2 min
Lech Lecha 5783: Abraham as the prototype for the MCU?
What do you create next after you’re done making the greatest cinematic conclusion in the history of entertainment? Marvel Studios is...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Oct 28, 2022
- 3 min
Finding Balance Without Rocking the Boat (or Ark)
Only two weeks into the reading of the book of Genesis, you’d wonder whether or not God had much of a plan when creating humanity. The...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Oct 9, 2022
- 3 min
A Grateful Rabbi
Dear Valley Temple, Thank you. This is the busiest season of our year, and I feel an obligation to let you know how meaningful this past...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Sep 17, 2022
- 4 min
Communication and Compassion Can Counteract Quiet Quitting
There is a story we tell in our community about three bricklayers. One day, a person comes walking up the street and sees them busy at...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Sep 9, 2022
- 3 min
The Game Nobody Can See: The Future of Baseball Is Streaming
For years, we’ve been hearing about the constant initiative to make baseball more accessible to a new generation of fans. From extra...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Aug 26, 2022
- 3 min
Working Face to Face
Six weeks ago, I reached out to ReformJudaism.org to ask if I could write a couple of blog posts for their site. It is not secret that I...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jul 4, 2022
- 3 min
Taking Back the 4th
My favorite summer tradition is celebrating the 4th of July at camp. I deck myself out in red, white, and blue, and make some truly...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Apr 10, 2022
- 7 min
Treating the Person, Not the Disease
This blog post is the byproduct of a conversation with Rabbi Michael Weiss. Special thanks to him for his wisdom, insight, and...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Feb 18, 2022
- 8 min
Ki Tisa - The Worst Days Can Bring the Best Understanding
When I was a kid, my family used to read the children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Needless to...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Feb 11, 2022
- 5 min
Tetzaveh - An Old Symbol in a New Context
One of the biggest dangers of reading our Torah is our inability to put ourselves into the context of the section with which we are...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Feb 4, 2022
- 6 min
T'rumah - Making Space for God
“I begin with a prayer of gratitude for all that is holy in my life. God needs no words, no English or Hebrew, no semantics and no...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 21, 2022
- 7 min
Yitro - Out of Order to Preserve Order
If you were to try to create a ranking of the best Torah portions, it is likely that all Jews would have a slightly different list. (The...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 14, 2022
- 7 min
B'Shalach - Transitioning Perspectives
Throughout the ages, science has attempted to prove the accuracy of the story described in Parashat B’Shalach, at the peril of failing to...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 7, 2022
- 5 min
Parashat Bo: The Invention of Ritual
At the beginning of Parashat Bo, God is preparing to bring about the worst, most impactful plague upon Egypt. Knowing that the Israelites...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Dec 16, 2021
- 5 min
Vayechi - Setting the Standard of Disruption
From the origins of creation to the creation of Am Yisrael, the book of Genesis has endeavored to explain the inception of the world as...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Dec 9, 2021
- 6 min
Vayigash - Owning Our Trauma
Joseph would have had every right to punish his brothers. After reuniting with the men who had tried to kill him, sold him into slavery,...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Dec 7, 2021
- 2 min
December Bulletin Article: Why Should We Know This?
The following is a bulletin article written for the Valley Temple, in Wyoming, Ohio, where I serve as Rabbi Educator. Every educator is...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 25, 2021
- 6 min
Vayeishev - Risk for Reward
Thanks to Donnie Osmond, the world is quite familiar with the story of Joseph and his brothers. While we know the exquisite details of...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 18, 2021
- 7 min
Vayishlach - What to Do With the Silence...
We have been reading the Torah for over two thousand years. The beauty of such a long relationship with a text is that we have poured...
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