What does it mean to choose life?
Choosing life is about choosing hope.
I was 39 years old with three young children
just having been diagnosed with cancer.
And it's not lost on me that I'm here now.
Penn Medicine saved my life.
How's it going, great? I think so.
Are we having fun? On picture day?
To be a rabbi is a bit of an adventure every day.
You're there with people both in the greatest of moments
but you also have the great honor
of being with people during moments of real hardship.
Shabbat Shalom my friend, how are you?
I think I've brought my own voice to Judaism
Please join us as we sing together: Bim Bom
It goes as follows
Bim...Bom
See? You got it!
There's one foot for me clearly planted in tradition
but I also have an appreciation for the modern world.
He's a good mentor. He's, like, relatable.
We both love Hamilton
Yeah. That's our bond.
I'm a dad, I'm a fan of Philly sports
I just also happen to be a rabbi.
Buddy I'll see ya later.
About a year and a half ago I noticed that there was this lump on my neck.
I went to my family doctor
and he said right away I'm very concerned about this.
after really a matter one or two doctors visits
it was clear this was going to be
some form of cancer.
I was young, healthy
I had a career and a home and a family
and to think that absolutely everything was going to maybe change drastically
I was stunned.
My daughter looked at me and she asked me if I was dying.
The fact that she was sort of
carrying around that fear, that hit me pretty hard.
I went from this place of being so emotional
to a place of action.
I made the decision that I was going to Penn.
The fact that we had this world-renowned
institute right down the street
There were no other options for me as I saw it.
Dr. Landsburg was my oncologist.
He literally drew a map of, here's where you are
here's what's going on in your body
and here's how we're going to treat it.
What was so reassuring was to sort of
reduce it very specifically to a game plan.
and to have this demeanor of calm and expertise.
That conversation, I remember
while clearly on the one hand it was really difficult
was also incredibly reassuring.
It was really hard for me as the rabbi to now be the patient
I'm programmed at this point to be the one
who supports and answers questions and holds the hand.
So to have the table turned a little bit
I almost didn't know what to do with that.
He's a loved man.
We all knew that his inner strength
and the strength of his family and the strength of this place would be behind him.
When you're in the hospital bed and it's the middle of the night
you can feel incredibly alone.
So to know that there was sort of this army of support behind me
that was incredibly moving to me.
People truly cared.
I heard from people that I hadn't spoken to in 30 years
people I had grown up with.
Their support, the love that I felt from this congregation
and my circle of friends
and the doctors and my family
that pulled me along quite a bit.
When treatment came to an end
there was a scan that confirmed the fact
that I was cancer free.
It's like, what just happened? Is it over?
What just happened?
You sort of try to come to terms with the fact
that cancer is now a thing of the past for you.
You beat it. It's over.
Shabbat shalom again everybody.
I think that having cancer made me a better rabbi.
Hopefully more understanding, more compassionate.
It's a story of family
and that we have to look out for each other, we have to help each other.
I just turned 40. 40 is the new 30, maybe.
I have a lot that I still intend to do.
I hope to run in some big important races
continue to lead this community.
I hope to be a good dad.
There are places all over the world
that I still want to see.
I think back sometimes to the nurses and the doctors at Penn
and the way in which they treated me
as if I was the only patient in the building
knowing that that's how they treated everybody.
I think that type of care saved my life.
And it was affirming to be reminded of the fact
that when we come together
through faith, through community
through this sort of inner strength that we all have
we can overcome.