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Our Destinies are Intertwined: to Save the Hostages, We Must Save Gaza
We cannot claim to care about the hostages and then support actions which directly put their lives in danger.
Ariel Tovlev
Aug 3, 20254 min read


Our Shared Struggle For Peace
Our struggles are not with each other; we must unite in the shared struggle for peace
Ariel Tovlev
Oct 16, 20247 min read


Return to Your Soul
Different levels of our soul: nefesh, ruach, and neshama; how to keep our neshama pure and bright.
Ariel Tovlev
Oct 16, 20246 min read


To Believe or Not To Believe... an Eternal Question
Rosh Hashanah sermon about belief & disbelief in God
Ariel Tovlev
Oct 8, 20247 min read


The Power of Witnessing
A Rosh Hashanah sermon on the power of showing up in community and bearing witness to each other's pain
Ariel Tovlev
Oct 8, 20247 min read


Is Our Desire to Create "Safe Spaces" Supporting Segregation? A Reflection on How Communities Protect Trans Children but Avoid Trans Adults
It is not enough to protect trans kids if we are not empowering and honoring trans adults. Much of the transgender rights movement has...
Ariel Tovlev
Mar 29, 20247 min read


On Race, Diversity, and being B'tzelem Elohim
Stories from my own life on diversity which have taught me about ignorance and efforts to move past it.
Ariel Tovlev
Feb 16, 202422 min read


Humility: the Middah of Anavah
In preparing to apply for rabbinical school, I was meeting regularly with my rabbi. In one of our meetings he prepped me through a mock...
Ariel Tovlev
Jan 31, 20249 min read


In Support of a Ceasefire
An explanation of why I am a Zionist who supports a ceasefire in Palestine.
Ariel Tovlev
Jan 9, 20246 min read


Lessons in Grief Taught by a Teenager
A couple years ago, one of my professors died from an illness we all hoped she’d recover from. The whole college was in mourning over...
Ariel Tovlev
Dec 8, 20231 min read


When Forgiveness is Not Teshuvah
On Yom Kippur, we ask for forgiveness from those we have wronged, and we grant forgiveness to those who have wronged us. We consider this...
Ariel Tovlev
Sep 15, 20218 min read


Intersectional International Women's Day
Happy #InternationalWomensDay! I love this Miriam's cup I made with Congregation Or Ami 's family education program Menschify! We all...
Ariel Tovlev
Mar 8, 20212 min read


A Year After: Remembering the Tree of Life Massacre
It has been a year now since the antisemitic massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. I remember exactly where I was when I...
Ariel Tovlev
Nov 19, 20203 min read


Mussar Musings for a New Year
Shanah tovah umetukah lekulam! A good and sweet new year for everyone. When I was younger, I thought of teshuva in the traditional sense...
Ariel Tovlev
Sep 18, 20202 min read


Trans Love is Miraculous
Anyone who has been in love knows how otherworldly the feeling is: the out-of-body feeling of weightlessness, the in-the-body feeling of...
Ariel Tovlev
Aug 14, 20205 min read


Anti-Trans Legislation
The government's attempt to roll back trans healthcare protections is personal to me. Between 2014-2015, I spent an entire year trying to...
Ariel Tovlev
Jun 13, 20204 min read


Advocating for Safety Over Bravery
I hate the term "brave space." I understand that no space can completely be a safe space, and most spaces in the world are not safe...
Ariel Tovlev
Feb 13, 20203 min read


Living Out Loud
I've been thinking about something lately. I know I talk a lot about being trans. And some people who haven't known me very long might be...
Ariel Tovlev
Dec 24, 20194 min read


The Life Of Sarah; The Deaths of the Martyrs
I knew rabbinical school was going to be difficult. Ancient and Modern Jewish history, Torah chanting, Hebrew grammar, learning all the...
Ariel Tovlev
Nov 4, 20197 min read


Chag Ga'avah Sameach -- Happy Pride!
Ze'evi and I went to pride wearing our pride kippot, and I had on a Jewish queer pride flag. Throughout our day/evening, multiple people...
Ariel Tovlev
Jun 29, 20192 min read
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