Vayechi 5784 - Healing Our Generational Trauma
The following is a sermon I delivered at Valley Temple on Friday evening, December 29th, 2023. In my work with wedding couples, I’ve...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Oct 10, 2023
- 4 min
A War On Two Fronts
There is a war raging in the Middle East. But there is also one being fought on social media. And they both scare me in equal measure. We...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Aug 4, 2023
- 3 min
"What If It Was Your Family?" The Death Penalty Through New Eyes
“But what if it had been your family?” This is the question people always seem to ask when discussing the death penalty. What if YOU were...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jul 31, 2023
- 3 min
Therapy is All the Rage...But Not All Mental Healthcare Is Created Equal
As our societal awareness of mental health has grown, so too has an industry focused on selling us the best ways to take care of our...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jun 14, 2023
- 3 min
The Counselors Review:
“You stand on the shoulders of giants.” This was a popular refrain in my youth group growing up, and I believed it. I looked up to and...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- May 1, 2023
- 2 min
Soundtracks Review: A Self-Help Book That Actually…Helps?
There are a LOT of self-help books out there. This does beg the question: if the books are any good, why do we need so many? It seems...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Apr 25, 2023
- 4 min
Tazria-Metzorah Sermon: The Stuff We Don't Want To Talk About
The following is a sermon delivered on April 21st, 2023 at the Valley Temple in Wyoming, Ohio. This week’s Torah portion,...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Apr 18, 2023
- 2 min
All Things Aside Review: Shlesinger's unique blend of comedy and social critique
During the hardest parts of the COVID shutdown, my wife and I watched a lot of stand-up comedy. There was something refreshing about...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Feb 14, 2023
- 2 min
Love Warrior Book Review
Books on personal growth are as popular as ever, likely because it is pretty darn difficult to be a human being in the modern world....
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Feb 7, 2023
- 3 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 27, 2023
- 2 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 10, 2023
- 2 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 6, 2023
- 3 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 5, 2023
- 2 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Jan 3, 2023
- 1 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Dec 4, 2022
- 3 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 28, 2022
- 3 min
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 20, 2022
- 3 min
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,...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 10, 2022
- 3 min
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,...
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rabbiaustinzoot
- Nov 1, 2022
- 2 min
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...
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