Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater

A ‘Clue’ about creation

Published on October 22, 2008

Parshat Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) Why did God create the world? Why are we here in this life?

Moving beyond charity

Published on September 3, 2008

Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9) One of the biggest misnomers in the Jewish vocabulary is the translation of tzedakah as "charity." This mistranslation has gone on for so long in the American Jewish community that it's a hard habit to break.

Meditating spies

Published on June 19, 2008

Parshat Shelach Lecha (Numbers 13:1-15:41)

Why is there so much disillusionment, fear and unsettling behavior in this parsha? And what can we learn from the chaos?

Big Thinking

Published on May 15, 2008

Parshat Behar (Leviticus 25:1-26:2)

In the few courses that I have taken and books that I have read on management, one of the main components of success is the ability to engage in "big
visioning" or "blue sky" thinking.

Cry of the Leper

Published on April 3, 2008

Parshat Tazria (Leviticus 12:1-13:59)

There comes a time, for each of us, when we stand face to face with our demons; it is in our response to this challenge that we often see some of the more beautiful moments in human life. In this week's parsha, Tazria, we find one of those opportunities.

Setting out to look within

Published on October 18, 2007

We have the chance, each and every week, to take the journey of Abraham, listen for the call of God and then find ways to answer that call.

The Power of Love

Published on September 8, 2007

How much easier would it be to build a world of love, compassion, justice and peace than the continued path of war and violence?

Seeking Holiness

Published on April 26, 2007

Kedoshim is a lofty and powerful parsha, known as the holiness code, which the Talmud and Midrash understood to be rav gufei Torah, or encompassing the majority of the Torah, namely that this chapter is a summation of the entire Torah itself.

Divine Presence

Published on January 25, 2007

As we journey through Exodus we see the God of great power and might, the God who sends plagues, attacks Egypt and toys with Pharaoh's heart, all while trying to impress both the Israelites and Egyptians.

Rabbi Heschel at 100—still the voice of God

Published on January 11, 2007

This past week was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's yahrzeit, which falls during Parshat Shemot, the beginning of slavery and our fight against Pharaoh, which is also when we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. How appropriate!

Partners in Creation

Published on October 19, 2006

Many rabbinic texts detail our long tradition of ecotheology, explicitly supporting the idea that caring for the Earth is a distinctly religious imperative.

Power of Vows

Published on July 19, 2006

Our ancestors understood that when we make a vow, promising to give something to God, or take an oath regarding our own actions, this was the highest and most serious endeavor, as the power of speech is what separates us most critically from the animal world. "Baruch She'amar V'hayah Ha'olam, God spoke and the world came into being."

Death by Fire

Published on April 20, 2006

Today, Judaism is undergoing a transformation, as we seek to embody the words of Rav Kook, who said we must make the old new and the new holy. Prayer must be made spiritually meaningful, whereby it becomes what Heschel described as the language of the soul, not just the language of the past.

Moses and King

Published on January 19, 2006

This week we meet Moses, our new leader and adviser. Moses is commanded to go to Egypt, gather the people and demand their freedom from Pharaoh.

A Case for Pasadena

Published on September 8, 2005

Most people are surprised, even flabbergasted, to learn that there is a sizeable Jewish community in Pasadena, one that has been here for well over a century.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and I had never been to Pasadena. I knew little about it -- mostly that the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl were there; I had no idea how close it was to Woodland Hills, where I lived. And I certainly didn't think about if there were Jews there.

Pasadena is located in the San Gabriel Valley -- or what locals call the "Other Valley" -- and it's surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountains. It sits at the foot of Mount Wilson, home to the observatory where Albert Einstein worked during his stay at Cal Tech. It's also home to Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the leading U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system, which offers us a connection to space, science and some of the best minds in the world.

The Downer in Me

Published on August 25, 2005

People always tell me that I am a downer, constantly talking about the world's problems here, genocide there; conflict here, poverty there. Nobody ever wants to talk to me at a party!

Task at Hand

Published on June 2, 2005

I understand tikkun olam, the repairing and healing of our world, as the central calling of our people. All of the prayer, teaching, outreach, pastoral work and congregational activities that I help facilitate lead me back to the notion that they are somehow helping to add the necessary energy into our global cosmos, which can facilitate the advent of a new and better time for all people. And I know that each of us is working, in our own way, to help better the world.

Learning to Breathe

Published on January 6, 2005

For the last several years I have had a relationship with a man in prison, and I have seen how his soul has become anguished and diminished by sitting in that cell.

I met William after he was released from prison the first time, and I helped him get back on his feet. Now I write him words of comfort from the Psalms, from the Torah and from meditations that I have found to enhance an ailing spirit.