Soundtracks Review: A Self-Help Book That Actually…Helps?
There are a LOT of self-help books out there. This does beg the question: if the books are any good, why do we need so many? It seems...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Apr 25
- 4 min
Tazria-Metzorah Sermon: The Stuff We Don't Want To Talk About
The following is a sermon delivered on April 21st, 2023 at the Valley Temple in Wyoming, Ohio. This week’s Torah portion,...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Apr 18
- 2 min
All Things Aside Review: Shlesinger's unique blend of comedy and social critique
During the hardest parts of the COVID shutdown, my wife and I watched a lot of stand-up comedy. There was something refreshing about...
5 views0 comments
rabbiaustinzoot
- Feb 14
- 2 min
Love Warrior Book Review
Books on personal growth are as popular as ever, likely because it is pretty darn difficult to be a human being in the modern world....
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Feb 7
- 3 min
Fleishman Is In Trouble Review
If at all possible, I like to read the book before I watch the TV or film adaptation of a project. If I see the video content first, I...
9 views0 comments
rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 27
- 2 min
Parashat Bo 5783 - The Invention of Ritual
Ritual is an essential component of Judaism. Zionist essayist Ahad Ha’am famously said “more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 10
- 2 min
Why Do Jewish - Book Review
I so badly wanted to like this book. In fact, I am, in many ways, trying to WRITE this book. But Why Do Jewish: A Manifesto for 21st...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 6
- 3 min
Vayechi - Maybe No Happy Ending After All...
Jacob is the last of our major patriarchs in Judaism, and his death closes the book of Genesis. Throughout his story, we see a...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 5
- 2 min
Mediocre Book Review
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America was an uncomfortable book to read. And that was kind of the point. I’ve read some of...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 3
- 1 min
Book Review: We Need New Stories
We’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but are we allowed to judge a book by its title? Because We Need New Stories, by Nesrine...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Dec 4, 2022
- 3 min
Vayeitzei - What Are We Supposed to Learn?
Different people approach the Bible with different needs. Some read the book in order to learn the history of our people (reading the...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 28, 2022
- 3 min
Representation Matters...Except When It Doesn't
When the original Black Panther came out, it instantly became my favorite Marvel movie. The hero was a badass, the action was...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 20, 2022
- 3 min
Chayei Sarah: What's Money Between Friends?
We aren’t supposed to play favorites, but I think Genesis is the best book in the Bible. There is so much nuance to each of the stories,...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 10, 2022
- 3 min
Vayera 5783 - Seeing God in the World
Abraham finished last week’s Torah portion with a self-operated circumcision, so it would make sense that this week, in Parashat Vayera,...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 8, 2022
- 3 min
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
- Sep 29, 2022
- 0 min
33 views0 comments
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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