Tisha B'Av: Despair and Hope Intertwined
07/01/2022 08:47:33 AM
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks tells the story of Napoleon, once passing a synagogue on the somber day of Tisha B’Av, who was struck by sounds of crying and wailing emanating from inside the building. “What are the Jews mourning?” he asked one of his officers. “They are grieving for Jerusalem,” came back the reply. “And how long ago did the Jews lose Jerusalem?” asked Napoleon. “More than 1700 years ago,” the soldier answered....Read more...
Bechukotai: The Curse of Mass Shootings
06/14/2022 09:49:36 AM
Sometimes when I give a sermon, I look to bring in multiple points of view, as we explore a complicated issue together. Other times, I may choose to speak drawing on the prophetic tradition, meaning that I am going to tell you my truth based on an assessment of an urgent wrong, with a call to action. I'll speak more about the prophets later; I feel that the events of this week demanded that I find that voice. I hope that if you disagree with...Read more...
Naso: May We Be Gracious to One Another and Ourselves
06/13/2022 03:59:26 PM
Have you ever had someone in your life who truly saw you; someone who saw your essence, light, and who you are capable of becoming? Maybe that person also helped bring those things out in you that you did not know existed.
Keep that person in your mind. The quality they displayed is captured by the Hebrew word chen. It is often translated as “grace,” but...Read more...
Yizkor
06/09/2022 07:29:43 AM
In Jewish culture, we have two very different phrases to refer to someone who is deceased.
Alav Hashalom (for a male) or Alehah HaShalom (for a female) means "peace is upon her."
Zichronah Livrachah or Zichrono Livrachah. Usually translated "Of blessed memory," but it could also mean "May his memory be a blessing."
As far as I know, the two terms are used interchangeably. But they mean very different...Read more...
Bamidbar - Housing, and The Responsibility of those who Count
06/08/2022 06:33:36 AM
We Jews love to count.
We count time - today is Shabbat, so it's the 7th day of the week. Tonight is Shavuot, so it is the 49th day of counting the Omer, since the start of Passover. Today we are celebrating a Bat-mitzvah, the age of moral responsibility, so it's the 13th year of life.
We count things. Did you know that we have seven aliyah's to the Torah every Shabbat, but five for a holiday service, and three for a weekday...Read more...
Emor: Looking for Deeper Reasons
05/16/2022 03:10:27 PM
This week’s 60 Minutes episode told the story of eleven-year-old Austin Bruenger, a fifth grader at Roosevelt Elementary School in Milwaukee. He reminded me of some of the kids here; sweet, fun and bright. He shared the story that as a nine-year-old, when the pandemic hit, he initially thought that some time off of school would be great. But as the weeks passed with remote learning, his disconnect...Read more...
Scapegoat: Building an Understanding of Self and Society
05/16/2022 02:40:32 PM
My dad and I had an ongoing discussion. He felt that religion was full of irrelevant details that bordered on ridiculous. I’m sure that he would have pointed to the details of this morning’s portion, sacrificing animals, sprinkling blood, laying sins on a goat, and use it as an example to prove his point.
I would...Read more...
The Mitzvah of Criticism
05/09/2022 01:50:35 PM
Quite a few years ago, when I was a much younger adult, my parents-in-law spent a sabbatical year in Cambridge, England, and my husband David and I flew out to visit them for a couple of weeks. We must have rented bikes, because the story I want to share with you happened when we were out on a bike ride around town. I was biking a little slower than the others, and David and his parents were about half a block ahead of me when a middle-aged...Read more...
Standing at Sinai
04/29/2022 02:13:41 PM
One of our least known holidays is Shavuot. As its timing coincides with summer vacations and graduations, many don’t know of this extraordinary holiday. It is a holiday worth celebrating!
In the Torah it is described as the holiday celebrating the wheat harvest. On this holiday, farmers would make pilgrimage to the Temple to offer the first grains. This original meaning of gratitude for the gifts of God teaches a powerful message...Read more...
Finding Communal and Cultural Center
04/29/2022 02:09:38 PM
Recently I went to Mesa Verde National Park in Cortez, Colorado. Thousands of years ago the Ancestral Pueblo Native Americans lived in this area in iconic cliff dwellings. I learned that in nearly every cliff dwelling there is a Kiva, which was considered the cultural and religious center of the whole community. The Kiva is the place where the clan met to tell stories that were passed down from generation to generation in order to maintain...Read more...
Thoughts on Makhloket
04/29/2022 02:06:53 PM
Nadav and Abihu, Aaron’s two sons, brought strange fire into the Mishkan after having completed their appropriate tasks, such as bringing the blood to the altar. Upon bringing the strange fire, they were consumed by it and struck down by God.
The sacrificial offerings in the Mishkan followed a very specific sequence, in preparation for God’s presence descending to be...Read more...
Tikvah Shabbat Drash
04/29/2022 02:03:59 PM
Today on our Tikva Shabbat, we have gotten a small glimpse of what our tradition has to say about conflict resolution, respectful dialogue, and tolerance for multiple viewpoints.
The 30-million-shekel question is, how do we make it happen?
Is it easy in here to say, “We should listen with curiosity, or accept multiple points of view.” But what happens in the real world, when we are sitting across from someone who believes...Read more...