Rabbi Ari Saks

“Antisemitism is often misunderstood as just another form of prejudice. But it is more insidious than that. It is a conspiracy, hatred that has adapted itself across centuries – from ancient expulsions to medieval blood libels, from the horrors of the Holocaust to modern-day distortions and denial. It mutates. It disguises itself as humor, as politics, as ignorance. And when left unchallenged, it grows.”

East Greenwich community rallies after antisemitic symbols found in schools Days after school officials revealed disturbing details of antisemitic graffiti discovered at several local schools, residents gathered Sunday to rally in su...

Thank you to the leadership and members of Chevrei Tzedek in Baltimore for a wonderful weekend of learning the Torah of Interfaithing!! If you are interested in what we discussed, please feel free to contact me.

This is the message I sent to my community Temple Torat Yisrael today in honor of Super Bowl weekend…

GO BIRDS!!! 🦅
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One of my earliest, vivid memories of the Super Bowl was watching the players for each team be introduced to America - Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Jim Kelly, just to name a few. I believe this memory is etched in my mind because I felt jealous of the fans who could be proud that the players from their teams were being introduced on the biggest stage in the world. I felt jealous of the fans of the teams playing in that year’s Super Bowl for, what I imagined, feeling like they were being introduced to the world alongside their favorite players. Growing up an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan in the late 80s and 90s, I never thought I would experience that feeling. And I wanted it badly.

Fast forward to 2025 and that feeling of jealousy has disappeared, primarily because ever since 2004, my team has appeared in the Super Bowl four times (including this upcoming Sunday). In other words I experienced the pride of watching the players of my team being introduced on the biggest stage in the world. But as I prepare to watch this year’s Super Bowl on Sunday night with my kids who are at the age when I became aware of the Super Bowl (Lilah - age 9) and at the age of when I started to care a lot about my team (Jonah - age 11) respectively, I regret that feeling of jealousy I experienced as a kid. If I could travel back in time to speak to my younger self, I would want to share three important lessons about jealousy that I hope would help him avoid that feeling:

LESSON 1: YOUR TIME WILL COME
Jealousy is an immediate reaction to the present moment, either when you think something is “not fair” (i.e that you have a right to the same benefits other people receive) or when you think “it will never happen to me” (i.e. that your negative present reality will never change for the better). It isn’t easy for anyone - especially a young person - to overcome the tyranny of the present moment. Imagining a “fairer” and “better” future requires cultivating patience, which in Hebrew is derived from the root word meaning “to suffer.” Patience means allowing the world to unfurl before you so that each of life’s experiences can teach you something meaningful with the hope that the day will come when you feel that your suffering will be worth it.

LESSON 2: EXPRESS GRATITUDE FOR WHAT YOU HAVE
More than the pride of feeling I was being introduced to the world alongside my team’s players, I was excited at the prospect that if my team could become Super Bowl winners, then I could become a winner as well. Thankfully I experienced the joy of seeing my team become Super Bowl winners in February 2018, but what I realized was that I did not need my team to win the Super Bowl so that I could feel like a winner; my team’s success does not dictate my personal success. Plenty of people have meaningful and happy lives without experiencing the joy of their team winning a Super Bowl because they are grateful for the many “wins” they’ve achieved in their personal and professional lives. Yes, winning a game on the biggest stage of the world is a lot of fun and something I hope every fan (except Dallas Cowboys fans) should experience. All the more reason when your team is blessed with a Super Bowl winning season, you should be grateful for having that experience instead of letting it determine if you are a “winner” or “loser” in the game of life.

LESSON 3: IF IT’S HARD TO BE PATIENT AND GRATEFUL, IT’S OK. IT’S HARD FOR GOD TOO
When we talk about God in the abstract, we often describe God as perfect. However, in the Bible God is anything but perfect. In particular, especially as it relates to the the first point above, God is often called an “el kana” - a “jealous god.” For instance, God’s jealousy of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf in the desert led God to want to destroy the people and start over with Moses. God’s jealousy was so palpable that Moses had to speak to God in a way that I wish I could have spoken with my younger self. In Moses’ pep talk, he reminded God to be patient with the Israelites who at that time were still dominated by a slave mentality, and to be grateful for the loyalty of the patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - in order to temper God’s jealousy. The amazing thing about these exchanges between Moses and God is that God listened to Moses, which not only teaches us that God can feel jealous but that God can learn how to overcome it. So if God can be jealous, we should give ourselves a break when the feeling of jealousy arises within us. And if God can overcome jealousy, then we should believe we can overcome jealousy as well.

May we cultivate the values of patience and gratitude to overcome our feelings of jealousy, and may fans of the Kansas City chiefs need to cultivate those values after Sunday night 😉.

Go Birds!!!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ari Y. Saks
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I am humbled and excited to be speaking on INTERFAITH FAMILIES next Shabbat (Jan 31-Feb 1) at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El as a Scholar-in-Residence!!

If you're in the Philly area, I'd love to see some familiar faces 😉

Click on the link to REGISTER!

Scholar Weekend with Rabbi Saks: Addressing Interfaith Conversations with our Community - Event - Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El

I wonder if the Three Wise Men sang "Siman Tov u-Mazel Tov" on their way to meet baby Jesus 😉 Listen to learn more!!!

Interfaithing: (S02/E05) Eureka! The Epiphany of Interfaithing Join Ari Saks and Anna DeWeese on the latest episode of "Interfaithing" as they explore the Christian holiday of Epiphany (Three Kings Day) celebrated on January 6th! This episode is a delightful journey into how interfaith families can embrace diverse religious traditions with joy and creativi...

Ever wonder why we bring trees inside for Christmas? It's not what you think! Learn about the ancient Roman roots of this tradition.

Interfaithing: (S02/E04) Christmas and Chanukkah Episode - Part 2: The Double Light of the Holiday Season Join Ari, Anna and SPECIAL GUEST Reverend Samantha Gonzalez-Block as they illuminate the fascinating interplay between Christmas and Chanukkah! This episode dives into the historical origins and cultural significance of these beloved holidays, offering insights for interfaith families navigatin...

"I hope that for so many families, and especially our interfaith families, the easy part is to focus on the fun and the joy and the happiness. But there's also this very important, beautiful, miraculous thing that's taking place."
~ Anna

Interfaithing: (S02/E04) Christmas and Chanukkah Episode - Part 2: The Double Light of the Holiday Season Join Ari, Anna and SPECIAL GUEST Reverend Samantha Gonzalez-Block as they illuminate the fascinating interplay between Christmas and Chanukkah! This episode dives into the historical origins and cultural significance of these beloved holidays, offering insights for interfaith families navigatin...