Conversations with the Rabbi

Truth and Inconveniences by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Cooler Heads Ep 6 - What Could Go Right? by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Money is a funny thing. While it certainly can be, and too often is, used to divide and marginalize, it is also a powerful symbol of the things we care about deeply. Conventional wisdom teaches that we must “put our money where our mouth is” to be taken seriously. Of course, we are also taught that it is the root of all evil. I think, like any other resource, it’s all about how we use it and where we direct it.

Earnings Report by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

You've never heard roses, buds and thorns like these.

People who choose to convert to Judaism, our gifts and ways they do not understand. Turn the invitation to be comfortably uncertain is often what they are looking for.

When the Artemis II astronauts were about to enter their 40-minute radio silence as they orbited over the dark side of the moon, Astronaut Victor Glover whimsically shared, “We will see you on the other side.” Suggesting that they would spend the time praying (it’s not clear if he was speaking in the “Royal We” or just for himself), the anticipated tension and nervousness expressed back on earth, didn’t seem to be reflected by the astronauts themselves, on the front or the back end.

Four Questions? Only 4 - Nah, we're just getting started!

Exodus happens. The question is, does it matter?

Perhaps this is our Esther moment. A moment to stand openly as Jews. A moment to protect one another. A moment to refuse fear and refuse silence. Each of us has a role to play—large or small—in ensuring that Jewish life not only survives, but continues to flourish with pride and courage. Because Jewish history has always asked the same question of every generation: If not us, who? And if not now, when?

George Schwartz and Rabbi Scott come together again for the fourth episode of "Cooler Heads" to help us better understand the US and Israel war against Iran. Do we have all of the answers? No. Do we have better answers than what you're hearing from many of the talking heads on TV? Certainly. And its all much more complicated than anyone wishes to believe.

Not the cool kids by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Saucing it out by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Click here to watch the video clip of Ali Stroker: https://youtu.be/uuAI077FQdk and Click here to sign up for ReelAbilities: https://www.reelabilitieshouston.org/schedule

So if you ever find yourself at a gateway moment—one that puts you face-to-face with the best and worst life has to offer—and you’re not sure what to do, please call me. I promise: there is a Jewish tool for that. And with the right tool, you can learn how to release the sparks of holiness waiting inside the moment you’re in.

Monotheism isn't the insistance that I KNOW God and you can too if ONLY you listen to me, Its precisely the opposite.

The Prime Directive by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

If you like what you hear, it and I are made possible through the generous support of our volunteer contributors. Help us. To show your support, go to www.cskhouston.com

All of us have the potential to be a hero - just stand up for what is right!

Soulfulness is about allowing the soul to unfurl, to blossom, to unfold - to experience self discovery and to be seen for the divine image in which we are made. This is what we seek to do at CSK.

For thousands of years, Jewish wisdom has invited us into understanding that every one of us needs motivation for moving forward. Help with breaking the bonds of sleep so that we can become blessings to ourselves and to the world. Check it out!

Enjoy Thanksgiving, giblets and all!

This Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, was the parashah for my Bar Mitzvah. Back then, 43 years ago today, I couldn’t possibly have seen this parshah with these eyes in this way. And that is precisely the point. Torah remains as a singular beacon calling out to our souls...

Why I signed the letter opposing Zohran Mamdani by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Find the good - the hostages are home.

Rejoice! by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Millenial survival against all odds (the story of the Jews) isn’t at all the only reason we should observe our rituals and traditions, but it’s a good start. Showing up, inviting ourselves into the moment, freeing ourselves from only rational measures of the successes and failures of our lives is what we are called to, and especially because we can do so without fear of missiles and rockets raining down on us, I ask you to not only bring your bodies to our Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe), but don’t forget your minds, and souls, memories, and imagination.

For anyone old enough to remember where they were when the towers came down on September 11, 2001, we still live with the shock. Maybe we learn from our past. May we learn from our strength and resilience.

And there we are, on Rosh Hashanah, check in hand, with a list of what we have consumed over the past year: how much credit have we drawn upon and how much did we reinvest? How much stability have we weakened, and how much have we shored up? How much optimism have we squandered and how much hope have we reinstilled?

If the RPMs of your brain waves keep getting interrupted by a record scratch that repeats phrases like, “Why me?” or “What about me?” or “When is it my turn?”, you may have fallen into the circle of control. To climb your way out, just try to remember, “It’s always your turn. You just need to remember to take it.” Then reexamine your yearning in terms of what you can actually do – what power is in your own hands already? And as the Nike commercial says, “Just do it.”

One of the lighter discoveries I’ve come to appreciate while traveling is the simple joy of “scootering” around a city. Yes, scooters carry their share of controversy—safety concerns, cluttered sidewalks, and general urban chaos—but in Tel Aviv I found them both useful and delightful. They are also highly regulated. For example, as I cruised down the boardwalk one evening, my scooter automatically slowed itself to 9 km/h in a congested pedestrian zone. At 9 p.m., under the glow of streetlights, I passed one beach volleyball court after another—each lit up and full of players, hundreds of them, laughing, diving, and spiking.

We are looking forward to an inspiring High Holy Days season and can’t wait to welcome you. One highlight: on Kol Nidre (Yom Kippur evening – October 1), we are thrilled to welcome the Divisi Strings Quartet to our bima, joining Daphnee Johnson, Kelly Dean, Andrew Lienhard, and our soloist (in her 8th year), Hannah Madeleine Goodman. Together, they will lift our spirits higher than ever before. At CSK, everyone is welcome. No membership or dues are required to register. We simply invite your generosity, as even holy inspiration comes with earthly bills to pay. cskhouston.com

I’m not going to craft another list of facts to defend Israel’s moral military restraint or highlight the IDF’s legal and ethical accountability systems. I won’t recite doctrine or try to sanitize reality. Mistakes have been made—some unbearable. But I will point out that 381 million people live in the Middle East, and just 8 million Jews—.02% of the population—live in Israel because they are not allowed to live anywhere else in the region. Israel’s land mass makes up just .002% of the entire Middle East.

Some of you have suggested that I am naïve—perhaps willfully so. Others have told me I don’t truly understand Israelis, or that I’ve grown too “tribal.” Some have even gone so far as to imply that, by aligning myself too closely with the State of Israel, I’m complicit in something genocidal. These are heavy times. These are heavy words. And I know that for some of you, there’s a real disconnect between the rabbi you think you know and what you’ve heard me saying or seen me writing—especially since October 7, 2023. (listen for the full blog or go to https://www.cskhouston.com/hearourvoice to read)

Sometimes, everything DOES depend on you.

Not every itch needs scratching, not every critique is worth airing. At least not now.

So much news, so much contradictory testimony, so much politically motivated, depending on which source you follow, depending on your particular algorithm. US Army Veteran George Schwartz and Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss believe that cooler heads should always prevail. This podcast, "Cooler Heads" relies upon provable and rational understandings of the events of the world and particularly how they impact our understanding of ourselves as Jews and Americans. In light of recent events, we have invited participants into the."studio" ask their questions. We believe that you as well we'll find them quite relevant and important. Join us! And please like us on YouTube it helps promote our podcast.

The reward is watching them grow independent. The reward is seeing that they no longer need us the way they once did. Not to stop traffic. Not to hold their hand. Just to stand there and cheer them on. So every year, I do just that—with a lump in my throat and enormous gratitude. Because mentoring these students brings Torah to life for me. And that is the life I set out to live as a rabbi and a teacher.

Cooler Heads Ep 4 with Rabbi Scott and George Schwartz - "Lox and Loaded?" by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

The vitriol has to stop. Violence against we Jews is the logical outcome of virulent spewing of hate against Israel.

12 years and still growing!

Important links referred to in the recording can be found in the written blog: https://www.cskhouston.com/hearourvoice?post_id=1641449&edit=true%27#

Today is Yom HaShoah, the day we, the Jewish people, set aside to remember the Holocaust. There has long been debate over whether the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, was a direct response to the Holocaust. Some argue that in the wake of the unimaginable horrors – thoroughly reported and documented throughout the world, the usual default to anti-Semitism momentarily faltered. Amid that pause, the world acted on behalf of the Jewish people. I admit that this is a rather cynical characterization. Listen for more.

Here is a blurb, click to listen for more: It’s the middle of Passover, and I’m deep into my ancient Atkins-like, no-chametz regimen—basically, a protein-heavy, bread-free diet that, let's be honest, I should probably be following year-round. Still, let’s not pretend matzah feels like the “Bread of Freedom” when it’s more like the “Break of constant-anticipation for the end of Passover.” (And if you want a secret laugh, remove the last 3 letters of the first hyphenated word and the first 5 of the second. Ha!)

Clip from blog: With apologies to vegetarians, this is the most real Passover there is. Simple and to the point, this is “OG” Passover! (check this definition if you need to learn what “OG” stands for): Slaughter the lamb, put some of its blood on your doorpost, bbq, slice, and eat with a cracker and some hot but savory spice. And that was Passover; that and not eating bread products for a week and remembering and retelling how once we were slaves, and now we are free.

This blog is about the nexus of Hebrew grammar and life. For a side tangent, click this link to watch the video referenced above: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajewishguy/video/7164112988171980033

Cooler Heads Ep 3 by Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Where do we Normie's find ourselves in the debate about Mahmoud Khalil, the recently graduated Columbia University graduate student who is responsible for the dissemination of vile and vitriolic hate-speech, but for what else? That is what is being debated now. What makes this question the hardest of all? Which decision would make us Jews safer?

CSK-er George Schwartz and I are excited to premiere a brand new podcast, “Cooler Heads, Thoughtful Conversations on Complex Jewish Issues.” Here is our little blurb: “ Rabbi Scott and George Schwartz are like brothers from another mother—two minds, one mission. From the moment they met, their conversations have only grown deeper and more thought-provoking. In today’s polarized media landscape, we believe it’s time for cooler heads to prevail. That’s why we created Cooler Heads, a brand-new podcast dedicated to lowering the temperature on divisive issues and fostering thoughtful, empirical, and less emotion-driven discussions. Join us as we explore some of the Jewish world’s most complex and intractable conflicts with nuance, curiosity, and a commitment to deeper understanding.” George and I will seek to produce “Cooler Heads” podcast episodes on topical issues that we believe need a bit more “digging deep” and “airing out.” We look forward to your feedback which you can offer via the comments section in the two formats with which we will share them: my podcast, "Conversations with the Rabbi" (available on Itunes) and the Congregation Shma Koleinu You Tube Channel. Our first episode begins and ends with the lives and deaths of recently returned and deceased Israeli hostages, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. We discuss the situation from the breathtakingly broad intransigence that has enabled the violence in and around Israel to persevere and the breathtakingly narrow heartbreak in discovering what was done by Hamas to babies. Please give a listen and let us know what you think. Rabbi Scott

What does free speech mean? Are there limits? What do American law and Jewish law say and how does it all apply to the latest uproars of anti-Semitism on the campus of Columbia? Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss and George Schwartz invite you for a 20+ minute take on these important issues and why we might understand them all with cooler heads. Please don't forget to "Like us" when you watch.