Text Messages

Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin is recognized as one of the most thoughtful Jewish writers and teachers of his generation. He has helped people of all ages find spiritual meaning in both the great and small moments in life.A noted author whose work has appeared in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest and the Congressional Record, Rabbi Salkin is editor of The Modern Men's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Jewish Men on the 54 Weekly Torah PortionsandText Messages: A Torah Commentary for Teens; and author of Being God's Partner: How to Find the Hidden Link Between Spirituality and Your Work, with an introduction by Norman Lear; the best-seller Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah; For Kids—Putting God on Your Guest List: How to Claim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah and Righteous Gentiles in the Hebrew Bible: Ancient Role Models for Sacred Relationships (all Jewish Lights), among other books.

• Introduction xvBereshit/GenesisBereshit (1:1–6:8)What If I Don't Like My Brother?Rabbi Sherre Z. Hirsch 3Look in the Mirror; Now Look AgainDanny Maseng 6Noach (6:9–11:32)Even Righteous People Make MistakesRabbi Aaron Bisno 8Being the "Un-Noah"Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin 10Lech Lecha (12:1–17:27)Get Going!Rabbi Carl M. Perkins 12A GPS for CompassionRabbi Rami Shapiro 14Vayera (18:1–22:24)Answering the World's Oldest QuestionRabbi Brad Hirschfield 16Be PresentRabbi Judith Schindler 18Chayei Sarah (23:1–25:18)A Story of Prayer and LoveRabbi Elie Kaunfer 20Getting the Order Wrong—or RightRabbi Steven Z. Leder 22Toldot (25:19–28:9)The Most Serious Thing That Ever Happened to Me,by Esau IsaacsonRabbi Mordecai Finley, PhD 24Esau's TearsRabbi Dana Saroken 27Vayetzei (28:10–32:3)Jacob’s StairwayRabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso 29Jacob’s Life Is Our OwnRabbi David J. Wolpe 31Vayishlach (32:4–36:43)How to Become YisraelRabbi Vernon Kurtz 33Each of Us Has a NameRabbi Amy Joy Small 35Vayeshev (37:1–40:23)Not Your Plans—God’sRabbi Lawrence Kushner 38That Man Is YouRabbi Jack Moline 40Miketz (41:1–44:17)Truth or ConsequencesRabbi Cherie Koller-Fox 43The Tests of AdulthoodRabbi Kerry M. Olitzky 46Vayigash (44:18–47:27)Joseph Comes Out of the ClosetRabbi Eve Rudin 49Joseph or Moses: Who Do You Want to Be?Barry Shrage 52Vayechi (47:28–50:26)Both Kindness to Others and Loyalty to OurselvesRabbi John Moscowitz 55Sababa!Rabbi Avi Weiss 57Shemot/ExodusShemot (1:1–6:1)No Such Thing as an Innocent BystanderRabbi William G. Hamilton 63So, When Do You Really Grow Up?Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin 65Va’era (6:2–9:35)Conviction, Yes; Stubbornness, NoRabbi Howard L. Jaffe 67Hard Hearts—For RealDr. Ron Wolfson 70Bo (10:1–13:16)Being a Global Team PlayerLisa Exler and Ruth W. Messinger 73Does God Fight Fair?Rabbi Avi S. Olitzky 76Beshalach (13:17–17:16)Finding Our VoiceCantor Benjie Ellen Schiller 78That Nachshon MomentRabbi Sid Schwarz 80Yitro (18:1–20:23)Rules Are Jewish LoveRabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl 82What Kind of Leader Do You Want to Be?Rabbi Jonah Pesner 84Mishpatim (21:1–24:18)"… And Another Thing!"Rabbi Lester Bronstein 86God Sweats the Small StuffRabbi Debra Newman Kamin 88Terumah (25:1–27:19)What Kind of Sanctuary Are You Building?Rabbi Amy Schwartzman 90Inside OutDr. Ira H. Schweitzer, RJE 92Tetzaveh (27:20–30:10)Dress CodeRabbi Sue Levi Elwell, PhD 94Someone Is Always WatchingRabbi Michael Pincus 96Ki Tisa (30:11–34:35)Our Duty to One AnotherRabbi Julie Schonfeld 98No Free LunchRabbi Daniel G. Zemel 100Vayakhel (35:1–38:20)Finding Your Life’s PurposeRabbi Spike Anderson 102Who Else Is Coming?Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried 105Pekudei (38:21–40:38)Are You Accountable?Rabbi Jill Jacobs 107No BoatRabbi Paul Yedwab 109Vayikra/LeviticusVayikra (1:1–5:26)Who’s Calling, Please?Rabbi Elyse Frishman 113Sacrifice PlayRabbi Stuart Weinblatt 115Tzav (6:1–8:36)A Perpetual FireRabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky 118Time for a God UpgradeRabbi Jamie Korngold 120Shemini (9:1–11:47)The Gold Standard for KashrutRabbi Morris J. Allen 122A Time for SilenceRabbi Zoë Klein 125Tazria (12:1–13:59)Deep and Looking Up: How a Weird Story of Skin Disease Can Tell Us about Life over Death and Seeking Inner PeaceRabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan and Rabbi Asher Lopatin 127Metzora (14:1–15:33)When Words Become ContagiousRabbi Norman M. Cohen 130Sacred GraffitiRabbi Shira Stern 133Acharei Mot (16:1–18:30)The Physical Is Also SpiritualRabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson 136Never Stand Idly ByRabbi Steven Greenberg 138Kedoshim (19:1–20:27)Tattoo, Taboo, and the Jew: Can I Be Buried in a Jewish Cemetery?Rabbi Peter Berg 142Sacred SexualityRabbi Danya Ruttenberg 146Emor (21:1–24:23)Animals: What’s Cruel, and What’s Not So Cruel?Stan J. Beiner 148God Said What?Shulamit Reinharz, PhD, and Ellen Golub, PhD 151Behar (25:1–26:2)God’s Reset ButtonRabbi Mike Comins 155Shabbat and the Power of the "Regular" and “Routine”Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach 158Bechukotai (26:3–27:34)“Girls Rule! Boys Drool.”Rabbi Marshal Klaven 160A Big “If”Rabbi Shira Stutman 162Bemidbar/NumbersBemidbar (1:1–4:20)Standing GuardRabbi Jonathan E. Blake 167“They’ve Given You a Number, and Taken Away Your Name”Rabbi Joshua Hammerman 169Naso (4:21–7:89)Accessing Your SuperpowersRabbi Sarah Mack 172Jealousy Is Like PoisonEthan Klaris and Rabbi Burt Visotzky 174Behaalotecha (8:1–12:16)Facing the WildernessRabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD 177What Makes a Leader Powerful?Deborah Meyer 180Shelach-Lecha (13:1–15:41)They Could Be Giants—So Could You!Dr. Erica Brown 182Don’t Be a Grasshopper!Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman 185Korach (16:1–18:32)Rebels for What?Rabbi Jessica Brockman 188Teaching Lasts Longer Than PoliticsRabbi Michael Paley 190Chukat (19:1–22:1)Speak Up and Speak Out!Emilia Diamant 193No Leading While Angry!Rabbi Edward Feld 195Balak (22:2–25:9)Because That’s What Jews DoRobert Bildner 198How Good Are Your Tents!Cantor Ellen Dreskin 201Pinchas (25:10–30:1)It’s Not Fair!Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson 203A Fanatic Named PinchasJerry Kaye 206Mattot (30:2–32:42)Silence Is ConsentRabbi Laura Geller 208Dugma Is DogmaIra J. Wise, RJE 211Maasei (33:1–36:13)Second ChancesRabbi William Cutter, PhD, and Georgeanne Cutter 213Are We There Yet?Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl 216Devarim/DeuteronomyDevarim (1:1–3:22)Trust the RebellionRabbi Ken Chasen 221Angry at GodRabbi Harold S. Kushner 224Va’etchanan (3:23–7:11)Skydiving and TorahRabbi Marc Gellman, PhD 226Curb Your AppetitesRabbi Elaine Zecher 229Ekev (7:12–11:25)Everything We Do MattersDr. Arnold M. Eisen 232The Two-Chambered HeartRabbi Micah D. Greenstein 234Re’eh (11:26–16:17)The Vision ThingWayne L. Firestone 237To See Even (and Especially) Those Who CannotRabbi Loren Sykes 239Shoftim (16:18–21:9)Judging Ourselves, Judging OthersRabbi Felipe Goodman 242War Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to BeRabbi Laurence E. Milder 244Ki Tetzei (21:10–25:19)You Must, Because You CanRabbi Edward Feinstein 247The Ties That BindRabbi Joseph B. Meszler 250Ki Tavo (26:1–29:8)An Unholy Mash-UpRabbi Joseph Black 253Remember Who You Are (and Then, Party)Rabbi David Steinhardt 255Nitzavim (29:9–30:20)The Ultimate NetworkRabbi Dr. Analia Bortz, MD 257Standing for CivilityRabbi Peter J. Rubinstein 259Vayelech (31:1–30)TunesJoel Lurie Grishaver 261Facing the EndRabbi James Ponet 263Haazinu (32:1–52)Driven to Non-distractionRabbi Denise L. Eger 266Listening—with Our EyesRabbi David B. Rosen 268Ve-zot Ha-brachah (33:1–34:12)Building a Better World: A Vision, a Plan, and the WorkersRabbi Andrew Davids 270… And Ready to Start AgainRabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz 272Notes 275Index by Contributor 277