Today is the 104th day of October 7th, a day we will re-live until every hostage is home. However, today is more difficult than most days since the Black Shabbat. Today is Kfir Bibas's birthday. A nine-month-old baby who was taken hostage marks one year of life, a quarter of which has been in captivity. A day meant for unbridled joy is as dark as the deepest night of winter. All I can think of is the mantra of these 104 days, "Bring Them Home." I pray these words each day I utter "Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael, Our Brothers and Sisters, All the House of Israel." This prayer is one we've added to our services on Friday night, and it is one I've prayed multiple times a day, every day since October 7th:  Our brothers and sisters, the whole house of Israel, who are in distress and captivity who wander over the sea and land -  May God have mercy on them and bring them from distress to comfort, from darkness to light, from slavery to redemption, now, swiftly, and soon.  Recently, I saw a video of … [Read more...]

In the final Torah portion of the Book of Genesis, Jacob (aka Israel) delivers an ethical will to his children. Jacob's first request was to be returned to his homeland, the Land of Israel when his descendants left Egypt. This isn't the first nor the last instance of our people's connection to the land that God promised Abraham. When we describe the Jewish connection to the modern-day State of Israel, we look back 3000 years to a story like Jacob's. In life and death, our people turn toward Israel.    Over the last 80+ days, we have heard wave after wave of antisemitic rhetoric that tries to displace us or divorce us from our homeland, but our Torah portion this week reminds us of our eternal connection to the Land. Jacob's insistence to return to his birthplace, even in death, reminds me of a classic Israeli song, "I Have No Other Land." The great musician Ehud Manor wrote these words in June of 1982, and it became a hit in 1986. Since then, the song has become an anthem for Jews and … [Read more...]

We have come to banish the darkness! These are the opening lyrics to a classic children's song in Israel. In Israel, "Ba'nu Choshech L'garesh" (the Hebrew title) is a classic Chanukah song as ubiquitous as "I have a little dreidel" in the United States. To match the words, when little kids perform this song throughout Israel, they all hold individual candles or flashlights. The lyrics go:   We have come to banish the darkness. In our hands are light and fire. Everyone is a small light. But together, we are tremendously bright.  Flee, darkness! Be gone, night! Flee before the Light!  The lyrics make sense in December. We have the fewest hours of sunlight during this time of year, but daylight will become longer and longer after Chanukah. Yet, we all pick up on the deeper meaning of the song. The darkness in the song is not just the absence of light; rather, it is the presence of evil in our lives. Chanukah commemorates the Maccabean War to drive the evil Assyrian Greeks from the Land of … [Read more...]

Dear Families,  Though, as Jews, we are in the habit of expressing our gratitude, now more than ever, we give thanks for the gift of our strong and safe Jewish community. As we pray for the safe release of the hostages, we are reminded that all Jewish people are family, and we must look after one another. Whether single or married, widowed or engaged, empty-nesters or Double-Income-No-Kids, you are part of the Temple Emanu-El family, and we are thankful for you.   On Thanksgiving, just as on Shabbat, my family goes around the dinner table to reflect on the past. In this case, all of the family events of the past year since last Thanksgiving. As I am sure it is with all families, we have all shared many joys and oys-moments of exultation and sorrow.  As Jews, as a forever hopeful people, I believe it is an ingrained part of our culture to have these complex moments of gratitude. We experience sadness or suffering, yet we also find moments to appreciate the goodness and love around … [Read more...]

After the rally on Tuesday, it is as clear as ever that our community is stronger when we come together. Another gathering of 290,000 Jews is not likely to happen anytime soon, but we can find strength even (maybe especially) when we gather in small groups, too. For decades, we've called these small groups a Chavurah. At Temple Emanu-El, that means a group of congregants in the same stage of life who come together for all sorts of occasions-most importantly, to create a place where everyone can feel pride in their Jewish identity. We've learned that we can replicate that warmth, pride, and love of Judaism when other Jewish families and friends are there for us.    Now more than ever, we want as many congregants as possible to be in a chavurah, and we have members of our Board of Trustees who are making it happen. If you click HERE, we will get you started with a chavurah right away.  In this week's Torah portion, we learn about the blessing that comes when we gather together. We reread … [Read more...]