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#By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

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 defau…

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 constan…

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…

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/7164112988171980033By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Cooler Heads Ep 3 by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy 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-pr…

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'…

Purim is tonight, and Passover is around the corner by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Celebrating Purim matters especially today, because the averted attacks on the Jews of Megillat Esther (scroll of Esther) were not averted on October 7, 2023. And that for reasons that I will never be able to fully grasp, there are a lot of people in the world who just don’t like Jews. They imagine we represent a threat to them, and we must keep ou…

With great sorrow, we recognize that any delusions we had have dissolved.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

The story of the Jewish people in a nutshell.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Finding personal meaning in ancient scripture is not only a creative approach to studying Torah it is Judaism's prime directive. The stories, especially from the book of Genesis are not meant to be memorized and regurgitated, as if they are gospel, no pun intended. Rather, they are meant to make us think critically about our lives, our relationship…

This new American administration is going to cause many to react in extreme ways whether you are on the right or the left. Jewish tradition, spirituality in general, cautions us to slow our roll. We are canceled to calm our reactions, to assess and evaluate before determining that we know the absolute and final truth.…

We are Bound by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Are you ready? by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Which stories do you tell about freedom? If they ain't messy, they are probably missing something!By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Outside in the world at least for a few minutes every day you can remind yourself without imagining the worst that much in life is redemptive and redeeming when we bring down the temperature of our worries and concerns and seek to connect to others, free of politics.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Whether Or Not I Live There by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

CSK's High Holy Days are open to all! Join us!By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Join us, you already belong.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

High Holy Days with CSK 2024Who? Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss, Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf, Hannah Madeleine Goodman (soloist), Tiffany Halfon (Program and Operations Manager), Andrew Lienhard (pianist), Kelly Dean (woodwinds), Daphnee Johnson (cello), Darrell Lacy (bass and guitar), and Leo Hernandez (trumpet and shofar).What? The Jewish way into community…

Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf is CSK's part time associate rabbi and adds so much to our community. Check out her blogpost all about belonging, transition, and finding your place in the world.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Join us tomorrow night for Shabbat led by Rabbi Scott and Rabbi Neal Katz!By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Shabbat is the break our hearts and minds need to better do the work of our lives.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Annual Meeting by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Musings - Jews Gone Wild by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

"The horrors of war are horrific and there is no one I know who takes solace or joy in the suffering of innocents. Not so ironically, the sooner the remainder of Hamas is disarmed, the sooner the people of Gaza can hold hands and pray for a future." (click to hear the full but brief blog post)By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Perhaps the ultimate proof that Hamas means it when it says, "From the River to Sea..." is October 7, 2023, itself. The victims of their terror lived, worked. and loved inside of the most accepted Israeli borders there are. And still, they lost their lives.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

The Blue Light by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Today Is Your Lucky Day! by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Hostages release must be at least a co-condition of a ceasefire demand.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

This week's Torah portion may make you rethink your assumption that it doesn't matter what you wear - to someone else, but most especially to you!By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Wouldn't it be a better world if we breathed before we posted and asked ourselves whether or not we really wanted our most negative words to be part of the ether for millennia I know that the Torah did not have the Internet in mind, or maybe it did?By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Wisdom Works by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

I do recognize that there is an existential angst plaguing our world, and it may very well be the cause of violent outbursts against the most vulnerable. And there is no question that a country with more guns than people makes the worst outcomes all the more possible. But how is it that if God forbid a child got drunk at your home, and suffered a h…

“The North American Jewish community has steadfastly come to the aid of Israel at moments of crisis. Israel belongs, first of all, to its citizens, and they have the final word. But Israel also matters to the entire Jewish people. When an Israeli government strays beyond what your commitments to liberal democracy can abide, you have both the right …

Calling out the two worst human beings in the world.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

“I was there for 10 minutes, and already I felt calmer.” And in that moment, I was reminded once again how Shabbat is a practice that when regularly “practiced,” sensitizes us to shabbats that arise when we are least expecting them. And that is a central element for what it means to live Jewishly. Yesterday, Ann Friedman and I visited the Auspiciou…

It doesn't matter if you understand all the words, know all the rituals, are fluent in Hebrew and Yiddish. What matters is your fluency as a human being. And this is what Shabbat is about - the pause we need to reawaken to our humanness,.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Where My Loves Are by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

We See You Sandy Hook by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

If we're not wiling to break some eggs, what's the point?By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

The Inconceivable Surprise Of Living by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Shabbat is always special. Shabbat at the Rothko Chapel is all the more so. Enjoy this recording of CSK Shabbat at the Rothko Chapel, 10-28-22.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

What drives political violence? Spiritual angst and loss.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

This is a brief meditation on the meaning of withdrawal necessary to stay spiritually healthy.By Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

An Invitation To Journey Parents from Rabbi Scott by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss

Poisoned Wells by Rabbi Scott Hausman-WeissBy Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss