top of page
Search


Good Enough Book Review
Good Enough wasn’t really written for me. I’ve read books by Kate Bowler before, and I liked them enough to read this, no questions...
rabbiaustinzoot
Feb 9, 20232 min read
18 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Feb 7, 20233 min read
10 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Jan 27, 20232 min read
12 views
0 comments


Reminders of Him - Review
There’s a lot going on in the world. Sometimes you want the security of reading a book with the certainty that everything is going to be...
rabbiaustinzoot
Jan 24, 20231 min read
23 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Jan 10, 20232 min read
28 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Jan 6, 20233 min read
11 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Jan 5, 20232 min read
21 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Jan 3, 20231 min read
8 views
0 comments


Watson Struggles, But We All Suffer
“Watson struggles in season debut.” That was the notification I got this weekend from the NFL. I wouldn’t have known any other way. I...
rabbiaustinzoot
Dec 6, 20223 min read
34 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Dec 4, 20223 min read
21 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 28, 20223 min read
21 views
0 comments


Toldot: A Guide to How To Do Thanksgiving The Wrong Way...
Generally, when we read the Bible, we are looking for lessons about how we can live a more fulfilling, meaningful, moral life. But the...
rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 24, 20223 min read
17 views
0 comments


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,...
rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 20, 20223 min read
19 views
0 comments


Jason Heyward is the Cub We Didn't Know We Wanted
On November 2nd, I texted to wish my father a happy anniversary. It had been six years since the night in Wrigleyville when we celebrated...
rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 15, 20223 min read
22 views
0 comments


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,...
rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 10, 20223 min read
20 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 8, 20223 min read
20 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 1, 20222 min read
23 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Oct 28, 20223 min read
23 views
0 comments


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...
rabbiaustinzoot
Oct 9, 20223 min read
36 views
0 comments


rabbiaustinzoot
Oct 7, 20220 min read
26 views
0 comments
bottom of page