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!)

Finding freedom in the middle of Passover

12 years and growing strong!

Celo27K x LxlNegro - GRIMEY (Prod. DRXMA)

Credits:
Mixed and Mastered by Baracka27K
Written and Performed by Celo27K & LxlNegro
Produced by DRXMA
Visualizer by Baracka27K

CS Entertainment™

Celo27K x LxlNegro - Grimey (Prod. DRXMA)

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

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.

Walking Beside Them – A Reflection on Beha’alotecha

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

The Itch

Sometimes, everything DOES depend on you.

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.

Moral Fatigues

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



Waves of concern, Circles of care

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. 

Israel, scooters, and volleyball at Night

Join Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss from Congregation Shma Koleinu for "Conversations with the Rabbi", a podcast focused on world affairs, matters of the heart and how to view it all through a spiritual lens.

New tracks tagged #CSK