This week’s parsha, like much of Leviticus, deals with boundaries: what is pure or impure for a priest; whom a cohen can marry; which animals are fit for sacrifice and which are not. We have a religious tradition that is very concerned with boundaries. Every culture and group has them. Boundaries are one of the [...]
Shabbat Hol Ha-Mo’ed Sukkot 5772 Have you ever had to explain sukkot to a non-Jewish friend or co-worker? It’s not easy… sukkot is probably our strangest holiday. The symbols and practices of sukkot must seem really weird to an outsider. You sit in a hut for a week and shake some leaves and a bumpy [...]
Parashat Emor 5771 Early Monday morning, I found myself sitting in a police car. No, I wasn’t arrested. I was sitting in the front seat next to the officer. I recently started volunteering with the Denver Police Department as a Chaplain; and on Monday I went on my first ride-along. I spent 7 hours patrolling [...]
Torah learning is not a destination, but rather a life-long journey. Parasht Emor 5770 Learning new things doesn’t often come easy, especially for me. I often need to study something two or three times or more before I even begin to learn it. As much as I love learning and have devoted my life to [...]
Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald has served as the Associate Rabbi of Congregation HEA in Denver, CO since his ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles in 2008. He also serves as a volunteer chaplain with the Denver Police Department. He and his spouse, Melanie Gruenwald, have three children.
