Noach: The Blessing of Uncertainty
11/07/2022 10:37:35 AM
These High Holidays our congregants Amy and Harold Keer were in London and attended the New London synagogue. Amy shared with me that the Rabbi, Jeremy Gordon gave a beautiful Kol Nidre sermon that echoes many of the themes I speak about. I read the sermon and loved it; my sermon today weaves in some of his sermon with my thoughts and today’s Torah portion, Noach.
Rabbi Gordon began with a poem by the famous contemporary...Read more...
CBJ Religious School is Thriving!
11/01/2022 09:52:16 AM
CBJ Religious School lives our community’s values. Every student is welcomed and accepted as they are, whatever their challenges, and every student is encouraged to grow to be more. To care more. To love more. To question and think more.
I am especially excited about our new Vav program this year, aimed primarily at sixth graders. Students are engaging in “Service Learning," participating in a different mitzvah each week. Their...Read more...
On Thanksgiving
10/31/2022 09:32:12 AM
I love Thanksgiving!
Yes, a piece of that response is the food; mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, pie, my mother in law’s sweet potato casserole with pecans on top; all my favorites. I also love the Macy’s parade and the loud cacophony of different conversations and generations coming together around the table.
The holiday resonates even more deeply in its connection with Jewish values.
Gathering together....Read more...
Lesson Learned
10/31/2022 09:30:30 AM
About a year ago I received an Apple Watch as a birthday present. I got this gift because I was often counting my steps and keeping track of my daily activity so, in theory, it was a good idea. However, I was resistant to wearing something that could monitor my every movement. Sure the technology was impressive, but I was skeptical that I really needed information like the time of the sunset or the UV index on my wrist.
More than...Read more...
Rockin' Shabbat Resumes!
10/31/2022 09:14:37 AM
After a long COVID enforced break, Rockin’ Shabbat, the live music Kabbalat Shabbat service returns starting on Friday, November 4, 2022. Save these other dates in your calendar, too: December 9, February 3, March 3, and May 5.
Rockin’ Shabbat started many years ago. When I came to CBJ in 2006, it was well-established. Its continuing evolution has been built with the dedication and love of our members. Musicians brought the music,...Read more...
Sukkot: Lessons About Joy
10/31/2022 09:08:51 AM
I spoke to a Middle School teacher last week and asked her how the year was beginning. She was so happy that the students are back in person, and then reflected on the some of the impact of the past several years. She shared that learning on a computer is so different than learning in person; the interactions, the thinking you can facilitate in person; rather than a quick click. She talked about the loss and...Read more...
Yizkor: Remembering Forgotten Stories
10/28/2022 01:01:17 PM
In a most recent Hadassah magazine article, journalist, and author Carol Saline writes poignantly about Yizkor. She writes that, “This will be the 41st time I’ve said these prayers for my father, the most important man in my life. He took me to parades and double-feature movies in two different theaters on the same afternoon. He instilled in me a love of books and language and a duty to give back to my...Read more...
Yom Kippur: Using Teshuvah to Heal, Grow, and Repair
10/14/2022 01:06:14 PM
Twenty years ago, I had a mild heart attack three weeks before Rosh Hashana. My predecessor, Rabbi David Teitelbaum of blessed memory, who was Rabbi Emeritus, stepped in to ease the burden on me by delivering a couple High Holiday sermons. It was such a gracious and kind act. I made it to synagogue and was blessed to hear him speak.
In one sermon, he talked...Read more...
Rosh Hashana: Embracing Fragility
10/14/2022 11:51:00 AM
This summer I read an important book, Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. The book asks us to confront that life is absurdly brief. He calculated that if you live to be eighty, you’ll have lived about 4,000 weeks. His point was to jolt us; time passes so quickly!
I confess that my initial...Read more...
Ki Tavo: Lessons From Hank Greenberg
10/14/2022 11:49:24 AM
There is a confluence of circumstance today. Almost 29 years ago, our congregant Adam Taub celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel in Newton, Massachusetts where I served as the Associate Rabbi. The Senior Rabbi, Sam Chiel gave a memorable sermon about the baseball player Hank Greenberg for Adam’s Bar Mitzvah, and I remember thinking I would like to talk about the same topic one day. Adam saved a hard copy...Read more...
Kol Nidre: Recreating a "We"
10/07/2022 10:16:39 AM
I received an invitation recently, from someone I hadn't heard from in a few years.
Nihal Sahan. She's one of the few staff members of Pacifica Institute, a Turkish cultural center in Santa Clara.
A few years ago, CBJ and Pacifica had a lovely little Muslim-Jewish dialogue group going. But like so many of our more tenuous social bonds - our group disappeared during the pandemic.
Now, out of the blue an...Read more...
Rosh Hashanah Day 2: Taking Control in the Anthropocene
09/28/2022 09:58:25 AM
Today is the anniversary of creation.
In honor of our wondrous planet, I'd like to tell you the story of the Hula Valley. And I will also take you through three very different versions of the story of the creation of the world.
Hula is in the north of Israel, east of the Golan. How many people in the room have been there?
Have you been there during the bird migration season?
Not long ago, much of the valley was...Read more...