While some of you may be able to relate, perhaps not so many of you have an almost-three-year-old living in your home who has been singing (yelling?) Passover songs since the morning Purim passed. Unique to her singing this year was the declaration: "No, ima (mommy), you can't sing with me right now. You'll sing with me at the Passover seder, but not right now, not until then. Wait until seder." For the Miller family, our seder night was different from all other nights because the tiny human that rules our home finally invited us to join her in song as we uncovered the story of the seder through music, sacred shared memories, and of course, food. Why was this night different from all other nights for your family? Was your table fuller than in years past? (or perhaps a little emptier?) Did you use the family china that only comes out at Passover? Did you recline with your pillow? Did you hear the story of our people and were you moved to reflect on its relationship to your life … [Read more...]
Zebulon & Issachar…who?
Beginning this evening, Temple Emanu-El is honored to host our Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Eli Herscher. It has been years since we have had a Scholar in Residence, and it is a very big deal that we are able to do this. For decades, Lee and Arlene Katz sponsored our outside scholars, brought in to teach us at a very high level. This year, Norman and Diane Cohen have taken up the torch, and through their largess, have allowed our entire Temple Emanu-El community to benefit. This relationship of financially supporting higher Jewish scholarship has its roots all the way back to biblical times. In Torah, when the 12 tribes are listed, they are usually listed and assigned a role (or destiny) separately, in chronological birth order. However, there are two tribes that provide a constant exception to this rule: Zebulon and Issachar. As sons, both of them came from Jacob and Leah, with Issachar being the fifth born child of Jacob, and Zebulon being the sixth (Genesis 30:18-20). However, … [Read more...]
“If I am not for the bees, who will bee for me?”
Our sage Hillel should have said these words: "If I am not for the bees, who will bee for me?" A Buzz Worthy Announcement In the next few weeks, you will notice some new workers around Temple Emanu-El. These workers will be growing food in our garden, helping flowers to bloom on the property, and making lots and lots of honey! Yes, you guessed it, we're welcoming two hives of honeybees to Temple Emanu-El this Spring. Why is Temple Emanu-El bringing honeybees onto our campus? Honeybees are crucial to human life; without honeybees, there would be no us! As a congregation that works to heal our world, hosting honeybees is one of the best and easiest ways to do that. While we may be able to taste a bit of Temple Emanu-El honey, a honeybee is worth 10 or 20 times the value of its honey. Honeybees pollinate ONE-THIRD of all crops in the United States. By hosting bees on our campus, we are adding more pollinators to the Sandy Springs/Dunwoody area. We hope you will be inspired to bring a … [Read more...]
Where is God?
There is a Jewish theology that may make us uncomfortable encompassed in a maxim coined by the Lubuvitzer Rebbe, Menachim Mendel Schneerson. The typical prompt given by Jewish teachers to children is "where is God"? And of course, the child is taught to answer: "God is everywhere." What the Rebbe did was put an ellipsis on the end of that statement, and with it, a statement that informs our relationship with the Divine. "God is everywhere…that you let God in." What is off-putting (controversial and may make us uncomfortable) about Rabbi Schneerson's re-framing of Jewish wisdom is that it calls into question the omnipotent nature of God. For clearly, his theology implies that just as much as we need God…that God needs us. That God's presence, and effect, on the world is contingent on our decision to invite in God's proverbial light. As troubling as this might be (to some), it is equally empowering. For Judaism is an empowering religion. Ours is not a faith that allows … [Read more...]
Three Things to Elevate Your Seder
Passover Seder is right around the corner (read: less than a month away!). There are many, many ways to conduct a Pesach seder, but I want to make sure you have three ways to elevate your seder this year. First, bring new people to the seder; it's a mitzvah! If you're hosting, invite a member of the Temple Emanu-El community through our Seder Shidduch service HERE. If you're a guest at someone's home this year, ask if you can bring a friend; or, spend one of the two seder nights with a new family. Temple Emanu-El's Seder Shidduch service HERE is also matching folks who want to be guests at a home. Second, share your bread with the poor. Every year, before we begin the seder meal, we hold up the matzah and say, "this is the bread of affliction all who are hungry come and eat." While it's a little late in that point of the seder to invite new guests, you can fulfill this command for hospitality by making donations of food or money to the Community Assistance Center, Garden Isaiah, … [Read more...]
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