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, 20233 min read
"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, 20233 min read
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
Jul 6, 20232 min read
Adding Our Own Kindling to the Fire
Sometimes a song hits you in just the right moment. The weather might have the perfect conditions, or the feelings of the day might...
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rabbiaustinzoot
May 1, 20232 min read
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 27, 20232 min read
Luckiest Girl Alive Review: A No-Longer Novel Idea
The trailer for the new Netflix movie Luckiest Girl Alive caught my attention. Mila Kunis is a favorite of mine, and a suspenseful drama...
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rabbiaustinzoot
Apr 25, 20234 min read
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
Feb 23, 20232 min read
Radical Candor Book Review
Everything starts from a place of relationships. This is true in every industry, but is perhaps most often ignored in a business setting....
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rabbiaustinzoot
Feb 9, 20232 min read
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
Jan 10, 20232 min read
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, 20233 min read
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, 20232 min read
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
Dec 4, 20223 min read
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, 20223 min read
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 24, 20223 min read
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
Nov 20, 20223 min read
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, 20223 min read
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, 20222 min read
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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rabbiaustinzoot
Oct 28, 20223 min read
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...
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rabbiaustinzoot
Oct 9, 20223 min read
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...
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