Dear Friends, I hope you will join us this Friday night as we celebrate Shabbat and the bat mitzvah of Gabby Gipson! Mazal Tov to Gabby and to her entire family! This Shabbat is the 3rd special Shabbat preceding Passover! It is called “Shabbat Parah” [The Red Heifer Shabbat] because, in a special Maftir Torah Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, There were over 60 Zoom windows for our online Purim celebration on Thursday night! Yasher koach to this wonderful congregation and to all the volunteers who helped make this Purim extra special!!!! While we are still in the Purim spirit, I note how wonderful this congregation really is by comparing our “showing up” Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, It’s the Shabbat before Purim! I hope you join us for our online Megillah reading this coming Thursday evening and join in the fun! There will be costumes, a Purim Shpiel and, of course, the reading of the Megillah! Thanks to all the volunteers who are working so hard to make all of Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, All of the laws of Mishpatim support the Torah’s central idea that we are encouraged to strive for holiness through our human interactions with one another, as well as through our human actions as they relate to our connection to God. Human interactions are intended to raise us up beyond the realm of Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, One might wonder: Why is our Torah portion, Yitro, named after a non-Jew? Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, was a Midianite priest. Yet, our Sages named this entire Torah portion – which contains the story of the momentous event of our people receiving of the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai – after Yitro, the Midianite Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, This Shabbat is called “Shabbat Shira [the Shabbat of Song]” because we read the Song of the Sea which our people recited after they experienced the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. There are actually two Songs of the Sea recorded in our Torah portion: one led by Moses; the other led by Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, I think we all know what a difference it makes to each one of us when we feel that we are seen and heard by those around us, even as we disagree with one another. Equally important is our own willingness to be there for others – whether we agree or disagree with Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, I hope you will join us tonight as our Zoom services as we celebrate Shabbat along with our Religious School students. When we include our students, we are looking ahead. When we look ahead, as Jews who are commanded to look back. We are commanded to “remember” – to find inspiration in our Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, Today, more than ever, we need prayers for our country. We need prayers for the renunciation of violence as a way of resolving differences of opinion. We need prayers for a restoration of the art of listening, of the art of respectful dialogue, and of the art of building relationships in good faith. Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, This week we conclude the reading of the first of the Five Books of Moses, the book of Genesis. As we conclude the reading of each of the Five Books of Moses, we customarily recite: Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchazek [Be Strong, Be Strong, and we shall strengthen one another]. In the spirit of Chazak Continue Reading »
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