Feel it... It's in the air... Freedom is on the way... Open your hearts...

this moment, all moments (for pesach)

this moment, all moments (for pesach)

© menachem creditor

time is fluid,
splashing up future visions.
memories too.
with all that time in one's eyes
it can be hard to see clearly.

so we, in every generation,
every year, every day,
every moment
this moment
are called to see ourselves
as if we emerged
from our narrowest moments
where the fluid is that of birth.

bloody, yes.
holy, yes.
redeemed, yes.

unprepared once again.
born anew.
pure.
new.

Dear One, here we come.
Thank You for everything.

A Passover Reflection: Images of Self and the Other

The Haiku Hagaddah!!

time to dust-off two Passover Classics!

time to dust-off two Passover Classics!

Slavery, Freedom, and Everything Between: The Why, How and What of Passover
Edited by Rabbi Menachem Creditor & Rabbi Aaron Alexander

with contributions by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Rabbi Ronit Tsadok, Rabbi Richie Lewis, Rabbi ELyse Winick, Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Rabbi Loren Sykes, Rabbi Michael Knopf, Rabbi Justin Goldstein, Dr. Joshua Kulp. Rabbi Ron Wolfson, Rabbi Dr. Mimi Fiegelson, Rabbi Cheryl Peretz, Rabbi Charlie Savenor, Rabbi Elianna Yolkut, and Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin

Like all Jewish festivals, Passover has its roots in Jewish history, in our connection to creation and in the rich spiritual and moral values of Judaism. Passover beckons us to embrace and expand freedom. The authors of this collection explore the themes and commitments of the most-celebrated Jewish holiday, one that contains amazing ingredients to fix the world. -- amazon.com/Slavery-Freedom-Everything-Between-Passover/dp/1482652927/

A Pesach Rhyme: A Short, Suess-ian Seder Experience
by Rabbi Menachem Creditor

This delightful children's book about Passover is a rhyming companion for any Seder! Illustrations by children accompany a text that explains while it entertains! -- amazon.com/Pesach-Rhyme-Rabbi-Menachem-Creditor/dp/1478218908

other selected titles by Rabbi Creditor:

None Shall Make Them Afraid: The Rabbis Against Gun Violence Anthology
Rabbis Against Gun Violence, a coalition of over 1600 American Jewish leaders, feels a fierce moral imperative to move beyond moments of silence and prayer and into action. We use our rabbinic voice to educate and advocate for positive, achievable solutions, such as legislative and legal measures, intervention strategies and culture change. Jewish tradition believes in a world without violence, a world the prophet Micah described where "every person will sit under their own vine and fig tree, and none shall make them afraid." We will join together with allies of all kinds, committed to the work it will take to see that day in our children's lifetimes.
-- amazon.com/None-Shall-Make-Them-Afraid/dp/1797559079

To Banish Darkness: Modern Reflections on HanukkahChannukah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, celebrates the power of light to banish darkness and tells the story of a vulnerable people's dedication. This collection of dynamic American Jewish leaders adds contemporary meaning to the messages and symbols of an ancient ritual. Essays feature Ruth Messinger, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Rabbi David Paskin, Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin, Asher Witkin, Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek, Tehilah Eisenstadt, Rabbi Craig Scheff, Rabbi Jeremy Ze'ev Weisblatt, Aryeh Einhorn, Rabbi Miriam Berkowitz, Rabbi Daniel Ornstein, Rabbi Fred Guttman, Rabbi Dev Noily Kehilla, Karen Erlichman, D.Min, LCSW, Dasee Berkowitz, Matan Koch, Rabbi Dina Shargel, and Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger!
-- amazon.com/dp/1731303475

Siddur Tov LeHodot (Shabbat Morning Transliterated Prayerbook)This Prayerbook is the first edition of an ongoing transliteration project designed to support those making their ways into Jewish Prayer. This siddur (prayerbook) is fully transliterated and partially translated.
-- amazon.com/Shabbat-Morning-Transliterated-Siddur-Hebrew/dp/1479259381

Intense Beginnings (Selected Writings)“Now, perhaps more than ever, we need our faith leaders to step forward and speak out bravely about the deep connections between our religious moral values and social justice. Rabbi Creditor has modeled for years the kind of fierce ethical commitment to justice — for women, for the poor, for victims of gun violence, for communities of color, for our cousins in Israel — that lies at the heart of Jewish teaching and scholarship. The essays collected here offer a roadmap into difficult conversations. You may not always agree with his conclusions but Creditor’s courage in marrying law to faith to social justice in these pages stands as an intense beginning to a dialogue; an invitation to speak out boldly about how the work of tikkun olam must proceed.”- Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Supreme Court correspondent, Slate
-- amazon.com/dp/1548007676/

Primal Prayers: Spiritual Responses to a Real World“Rabbi Menachem Creditor has given us all a gift. This book of prayers is here to accompany us though the joys and challenges of our daily lives. These are prayers we can relate to, prayers that heal our hearts and revive our souls.” - Rabbi Naomi Levy, Author of Talking to God
-- amazon.com/Primal-Prayers-Spiritual-Responses-World/dp/1507689861

The Hope: American Jewish Voices in Support of IsraelJews around the world hold our sisters and brothers in our hearts at all times. We are a family that spans the globe and whose heart pulses with the hope of 2,000 years. The diverse American Jewish voices included in this volume all communicate one sacred truth: Am Yisrael Chai! The People of Israel Lives!
-- amazon.com/Hope-American-Jewish-Voices-Support/dp/1500695343/

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Rabbi Menachem Creditor
menachemcreditor.net

Turn Purim on its Head! A Reflection on #Violence and #Vulnerability

None Shall Make Them Afraid: A Rabbis Against Gun Violence Anthology

None Shall Make Them Afraid: A Rabbis Against Gun Violence Anthology

amazon.com/None-Shall-Make-Them-Afraid/dp/1797559079

Rabbis Against Gun Violence, a coalition of over 1600 American Jewish leaders, feels a fierce moral imperative to move beyond moments of silence and prayer and into action. We use our rabbinic voice to educate and advocate for positive, achievable solutions, such as legislative and legal measures, intervention strategies and culture change. "None Shall Make Them Afraid" is an anthology of the three books RAGV has published to date: "Peace in Our Cities" (2013) was written in response to the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. "Not By Might" (2016) was in response to the mass shooting at the Pulse dance club in Orlando. "Holding Fast" (2018) was written in response to the mass shooting at the Tree Of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Jewish tradition believes in a world without violence, a world the prophet Micah described where "every person will sit under their own vine and fig tree, and none shall make them afraid." We will join together with allies of all kinds, committed to the work it will take to see that day in our children's lifetimes.