One of the things that synagogues all over America try to do is to connect Diaspora Jewry with 'Jewish time'.  Clearly, we have our own calendar, with its own rhythms, that help define how we are distinct from the rest of the world, and, what we choose to prioritize with our celebrations and commemorations. Shabbat is the most frequent of these marked Jewish times, where once a week we elevate a day, and the most aspirational parts of our self. This week, and next, we have a set of Jewish days devoted to our collective memory that begin with Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day (today) and culminate with Yom Ha'atzma'ut/Israel's Independence Day. There was a question, post Holocaust, within the Jewish community of when we ought to commemorate our greatest modern tragedy, one that continues to affect our group social psyche, and the world.  Should it be commemorated on the 9th of Av, and mixed into our collective mourning for the other national tragedies that we have encountered over … [Read more...]

Tomorrow evening's Shabbat service will be led by our Confirmation class of 5782. It has been called one of TE's "best kept secrets" because it is so inspiring. When I see our synagogue 10th graders celebrate their years of Jewish education, and connection, through prayer, I really feel it.  I get emotional. What's more, I find that I leave this Shabbat service with a heightened sense of optimism for the Jewish people, and the world around us. For those of you who are familiar with Confirmation, likely you have memories of profound connection. Which connection is most valuable to living a life of purpose and meaning?  The one with your rabbi who you have met with weekly for years? The one with your synagogue which comes to house your amazing Jewish experiences? The one with your Jewish community, your Jewish friends, who will remain with you for many decades to come? The one with The Divine, whom you have been given the space, and the time, to explore? The answer, of course, is that … [Read more...]

Passover is one of the most celebrated Jewish holidays, often bringing together extended family to engage in the tradition of the pesach seder. However, for the past two years, many folks have been unable to host or attend these large gatherings.   God-willing, this year is different. So much so that when we reach the question: "Why is this night different from all other nights?" I pray that many of us will have the opportunity to add, "because we can all be together again."   While we hold this tremendous joy in our hearts, we also know that hate still plagues our world. Yet Judaism built a system in which the cycle of the holidays carries us forward no matter our circumstances. Just like the Jews of Ukraine found opportunities to read and hear the megillah on Purim, so too will they find ways to host and attend sedarim. Judaism provides constant reminders to surround ourselves with community.  This Pesach, while we hold in our hearts the disruptions that plague our world and the hate … [Read more...]

So, you learned everything you needed to learn after one Seder? You know the whole Torah because you chanted from the Torah when you became bar/bat mitzvah? You still remember how to assemble the Billy Bookcase from IKEA because you did it once ten years ago? Didn't think so. Reading the directions again is typically a good course of action. The same can be said for a Second Night Seder.  We read the same story of our exodus from Egypt every year, but every year we gain some new insight. A Seder should be tailored to the folks around the table. Just as you wouldn't read a Shakespearean-themed Haggadah to a group of 5-year-olds, you wouldn't tell the story of Pesach using the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to a group of 20-somethings with no toddlers around the table.  Join us on April 16 for Temple Emanu-El's congregational seder, as we dine together and tell the story of our liberation as a synagogue family. This night will be different than all other nights because we will sit in our shared … [Read more...]

I do not follow celebrities. Just ask Rabbi Max, other than Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep (whose name I had to Google because I forgot it for a second)…I'm not really attuned to these things.  That said, earlier this week I couldn't walk anywhere without overhearing someone talk about "the slap heard around the world." Immediately my thoughts turned to The Slap's connection to our Torah portion this week.  Our Torah portion this week is Tazria. Though the rabbinic commentary on the portion provides nice material for sermons, few rabbis get particularly excited when they draw the Tazria card for their Shabbat service, and many a bar or bat mitzvah student come into our office like: WHAT did I just read?! That's because the main themes of the Torah portion are: purification rituals after childbirth; and, the ways to diagnose and treat various skin diseases, like tzaraat.  Tzaraat is an important disease in Jewish literature. The rabbinic interpretation of why someone may be … [Read more...]