Rabbi Maurice Harris

Rabbi Maurice Harris joined the staff at TBI in August 2003. In addition to rabbinic responsibilities, he oversees the Talmud Torah program.

Read the Rabbis' Monthly Messages to the Community...

God-wrestling in a Conscious Community

"You see, I became a rabbi because I couldn’t stop wrestling with Judaism. Not because I found uninterrupted joy in Judaism, not because it always felt like home, and not because I was drawn like a moth to its spiritual flame. For me, it was the path of Jacob - of Ya’akov - our biblical ancestor who wrestled with God. For those of you who don’t remember the story, one night while Jacob was alone by the Ya-bok River, a mysterious man appeared, and they wrestled throughout the night. Jacob won the contest, and later discovered that he had been wrestling with a Divine being, possibly God, Godself. For many Jews, Jacob is the ancestor who symbolizes the experience of struggling with G-d - and also of struggling with Judaism. Or, to mix religious metaphors, Jacob is the patron saint of those who see the path of wrestling with one’s tradition as a holy path.

"That’s been me for my whole adult life."

Read Rabbi Maurice's whole drash here.

D'var Torah for Yom Kippur, 5766: Jewish Legal and Ethical Thought on Torture

This Yom Kippur, I want to talk with you about the issue of torture in our country. I realize that in this community, the overwhelming majority of us probably support McCain's stand, and I know that choosing this topic means risking simply preaching to the choir – or, I suppose in a Jewish community one might say, kvetching to the mishpocha. But this talk is different. Rather than being just another liberal opposed to torture, what I want to share with you tonight are some of the nuances of Jewish legal and ethical thought on this issue. In other words, why does this issue matter Jewishly? Why as Jews should we make an extra effort to lend our voices, our money, and our energy to help Senator McCain plant this particular seed during this time of darkness? What do Judaism and Jewish history add to the discussion that isn’t already part of our shared concern as Americans and as human beings?

Read Rabbi Maurice's full d'var here.