Rabbi Howard Goldsmith is the spiritual leader of Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester, a Reform synagogue in Harrison.
Howard Goldsmith
By Howard Goldsmith
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Community I’m A Rabbi — And I Love Christmas
How do I feel as a rabbi during Christmas? I feel great. First of all, I love Christmas music. The innocent, hopeful melodies, the joyous diddies, the corny jingles — all of them bring smiles to my face. And when they become too cheesy or too much, I change the station. The fact that many…
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Community 4 Biblical Tests For Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh
Many in our nation will ask if Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh passes biblical muster. To answer that question, I propose the following biblical standards; standards that would, on the basis of the Bible, surely serve as an effective litmus test. “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your…
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Community Drinking On Purim Is Good For Your Soul
Purim is the Jewish holiday on which we are commanded to drink. And I’m not just talking about a Kiddush cup full of Manischewitz. No, on Purim we are supposed to get shickered, that it is to say, drunk. How drunk? What’s the point? Where does this all come from anyway? This seems a bit…
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Community Want To See A Real ‘Shithole?’ Read This Week’s Torah Portion.
You want to know what a shithole looks like? If we read this week’s Torah portion, we see that ancient Egypt, where they enslaved the Jews, that place was a shithole! I’m pretty sure that just about everyone would agree — from Biblical scholars to Disney Studios to the Pope — no one would hold…
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Community What LeBron James’ Awkward Train Encounter Teaches Us
Rabbi Goldsmith delivered the following remarks at the Annual Harrison Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Thursday, November 16, 2017: Lebron James rode the subway this week. The C-train to be exact. After a morning shootaround at Madison Square Garden, he and his team decided to opt for a 6 minute subway ride back to the hotel…
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Community We Must Stop Sacrificing Americans To The Religion Of Guns
When Sarah heard that Abraham had almost sacrificed Isaac, she dropped dead: The horror of his act. The potential violence. The terror that Isaac must have felt. The willingness of Abraham to put their only son in grave peril. We can imagine that all of these conspired to stop her heart. Even the relief of…
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Community What Little League Can Teach Us About Post-Holiday Jewish Life
Little League for 8-year-olds should be called Error Ball. Each week when I get to watch my son’s team play, I marvel at how much errors drive the results rather than skills or strategy. An overthrow at first base gets the runner to second… or third. A moment of distraction sees the ball roll right…
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Community What The Boy Scouts Can Teach Trump — And Israel — About Family
Right before I became an Eagle Scout, the Boy Scouts of America added a new required merit badge: The Family Life merit badge. This was the mid-1990s, right around the time when LGBT people began to receive more wide-spread acceptance in society. Indeed, the LGBT and allies coalition at my high school had strong support…
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