Daniel Geretz, at The Blogs

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Nov 20, 2019, 8:45 PM

Remembering my Sabta Dina z”l

When we quote those who are no longer with us, we must represent them accurately, or we hijack the conversation and diminish their greatness

Jul 26, 2019, 8:15 PM

Once again, it's the time of the Jewish year where rabbis’ thoughts turn to the destruction of Jerusalem, as well as schism within our Orthodox community. A colleague, Rabbi Jonathan Muskat, recently published a blog post where he discusses...

Jan 2, 2019, 7:36 AM

Keeping Safe from the Plague of Sexual Abuse

וְהִפְלֵיתִי֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ גֹּ֗שֶׁן אֲשֶׁ֤ר עַמִּי֙ עֹמֵ֣ד עָלֶ֔יהָ לְבִלְתִּ֥י הֱיֽוֹת־שָׁ֖ם עָרֹ֑ב לְמַ֣עַן תֵּדַ֔ע כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה בְּקֶ֥רֶב הָאָֽרֶץ׃ וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י פְדֻ֔ת בֵּ֥ין עַמִּ֖י וּבֵ֣ין עַמֶּ֑ךָ לְמָחָ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה הָאֹ֥ת הַזֶּֽה׃ — שמות ח':י"ח- י"ט But on that day I will set...

Nov 9, 2018, 12:45 PM

Bringing meaning to tragedy

People cry as a law enforcement motorcade escorts the body of Ventura County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Ron Helus from the Los Robles Regional Medical Center, November 8, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, California, after a gunman opened fire Wednesday evening inside a country music bar, killing multiple people including Helus. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

This Veterans Day, honor the living vets, remember the fallen, and mourn the recent senseless losses, so the nation can start healing

Oct 31, 2018, 5:19 AM

Reflections upon My Sabta’s 11th Yahrtzeit

22 Cheshvan, which this year falls out today, October 31, 2018, marks the 11th yahrtzeit of my dear Sabta Dina Lerner. Sabta Dina led a very rich and exceptional life, and died at the age of 96. She was...

Oct 28, 2018, 2:15 PM

In heaven, God cries

Shortly after his wife died, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888, Frankfurt am Main) penned an ethical will for his family. In his ethical will, Rav Hirsch expresses his late wife’s, as well as his own, joy and pride in...

Oct 24, 2018, 3:47 PM

Observant gay is not an oxymoron

Illustrative.

I am not gay, but I am a rabbi, and it is my job to listen to ALL congregants with understanding and respect

Dec 15, 2017, 7:10 AM

Whose needs are we serving?

Back in September, the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale’s (HIR) printed announcements included a mazal tov to the parents of a gay male who was about to be married. The announcement prompted intense criticism, especially from the more conservative segments...

Oct 26, 2017, 8:15 PM

The Department of Women’s Initiatives explicitly affirms the importance of women as community leaders

Oct 22, 2017, 5:32 AM

The Orthodox Union statement on women’s ordination, revisited

A few days ago, Rabbi Avi Shafran published an opinion piece in the Forward about women’s ordination. In it, he states: “For these reasons, the OU is correct in insisting than Orthodox Judaism is not compatible with female clergy. But...

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About Me

Daniel Geretz grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the founding rabbi of Maayan in West Orange, New Jersey. Daniel was awarded semikha by YCT Rabbinical School, and besides continuing to serve as the rabbi of Maayan, he works as a Spiritual Counselor at Center for Hope Hospice in Scotch Plains, NJ, and a Chaplain Intern at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ.

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