Dear Friends, This Shabbat is a prelude to Shavuot, the holiday of the Giving [and Receiving] of the Torah! Shavuot begins on Saturday night! We have been counting the Omer, connecting Passover and the Exodus from Egypt with the monumental moment when we all stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and received the Torah, Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, Memorial Day weekend is, in an of itself, a time of sadness as we honor those who have given their lives in the service of our country. They served so that we may, hopefully, live in peace. Yet, this weekend we add tears for all those innocent lives lost in Uvalde, Texas, as Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, Having recently returned from a scheduled Sabbatical, people ask me often: What’s the plan? When you retire (in a year and a quarter), what will you do? Where will you live? Will you stay? Will you go? These are all natural questions. My tendency is to say: The beauty of retirement will be Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, Each day is a miracle. Counting the Omer reminds us of that. Each day counts. Each day of my Sabbatical was a miracle. Each day of being in Israel is a miracle. Each day of being part of Jewish community is a miracle. Each day of being back is also a miracle. My Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, Since my Sabbatical begins this Sunday, this will be the final Tidbits of Torah until I return from my Sabbatical on May 9th. During my Sabbatical, I will be spending some time in Israel and I look forward to coming back refreshed! This has been a difficult week and I want to reflect Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, What does Miriam’s Timbrel have to do with us? This week we will be reading the Song of the Sea which was recited right after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and saw that they were safe. Moses and the Israelites sang the Song of the Sea. Miriam took out her timbrel and Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, A stand out piece of our weekly Torah portion, to my mind, is what Moses says to Pharaoh in Exodus 10:25-26: And Moses said: “You too shall give sacrifices and burnt offerings into our hands…And also our cattle will go with us; not a hoof will remain, for we will take from it Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, This Shabbat we will say a special prayer for the upcoming new Jewish month of Shevat! Rosh Chodesh Shevat will be on Sunday night and Monday of this coming week. May it be a month of blessing, of healing, of health, and of joy. We are also welcoming the start of 2022. This Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, One of the most beautiful things about being part of a kehilla kedosha – a sacred congregation – is the fact that most of us know the names of most of our fellow congregants! It is a blessing for us to be known by our names. I mention this today because I recently Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, It is our custom to bless our children on Friday nights and, as part of that blessing, we use the words that our Patriarch, Jacob, used in blessing Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Menashe. These words appear in our Torah portion of Vayechi (Genesis 48:20). Then, we add the three-fold blessing: May God bless Continue Reading »
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