Parashat Beresheet
10/20/2022 01:00:43 PM
And Go ‘Round and ‘Round and ‘Round…
10/13/2022 09:00:58 AM
Every year at this time I think of Joni Mitchell’s song, Circle Game. Those words reverberate in my head:
“And the seasons they go 'round and 'round. And the painted ponies go up and down. We're captive on the carousel of...Read more...
May 5783 Be a Time for Healing
10/04/2022 07:49:50 AM
As fall arrives and the leaves turn vibrant colors, I often think about the beautiful poem In Blackwater Woods by Mary Oliver. The poem begins with this phrase:
Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light…
And ends...Read more...
Teshuvah: Turning or Returning
09/28/2022 08:01:24 PM
Shana Tova! It was really wonderful to see so many of you on Rosh Hashanah (and to feel the presence of all those who joined us virtually!), and we...Read more...
Rosh Hashanah: Confession and Celebration
09/22/2022 07:39:55 AM
This week, we prepare to begin the Yamim Nora’im, or the days of awe. The Rosh Hashanah holiday, which begins on Sunday evening, can be confusing. We confess, “Avinu Malkeinu, we have sinned against you” and set our prayers to the solemn themes of repentance. But we also sing the...Read more...
S'lichot
09/12/2022 01:36:51 PM
This Saturday evening we will observe the ancient custom of S'lichot. S'lichot refers to two related types of penitential prayers. The first are the prayers that are customarily recited during the morning service of the entire month that precedes Rosh Hashanah, which is the...Read more...
Ki Tetzei: How Our Memories Define Our Present
09/08/2022 08:39:51 AM
Memory plays an incredibly potent role in Judaism: we are commanded to zachor, to remember, in many of the 613 commandments found in the Torah. In the passages of Ki Tetzei, this week’s Torah portion, we see numerous examples of these instructions. We are...Read more...
Being Just
09/01/2022 12:37:42 PM
The Torah portion for this Shabbat epitomizes what it means to be a good person. The portion is Shoftim, from Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. This portion about justice includes the famous quote: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof: Justice, justice shall you pursue.” The Torah...Read more...