Clear, crisp, and compelling. . . . Mitzvah Girls is a thoughtful look at the world of Jewish girls who grow up in 21st-century America, but don't really.

I see the role of a rabbi or a pastor in general sort of like the role of a quarterback who throws the ball a little bit ahead of the receiver - that is you want to make people run just a bit to catch up to the message that you offer.

The only whole heart is a broken one because it lets the light in.

Still when it comes to finding fault we are fonder of windows than of mirrors.

The measure of human character is our reaction to dark times. No one can sidestep darkness. It is the throne upon which light sits. If a soul has not known sadness and struggle, there is no chance of overcoming, no cherishing the dawn.

It doesn't have to be somber to be sacred.

One of the things that makes God different from people is that God is always available to listen.

Still when it comes to finding fault we are fonder of windows than of mirrors.

Prayer is less about changing the world than it is about changing ourselves.

Prayer is not a monologue. It speaks to God and to the community. In the last analysis, religion is not what goes on inside a soul. It is what goes on in the world, between people, between us and God. To trap faith in a monologue, and pretend that it resides solely inside the self, undermines the true interchange of all belief.

You have to guard the integrity of your soul and what you believe and have a certain amount of faith not only the country but in God that this is part of the mission.