Passover is my favorite holiday. The food and family present make the Seder warm and exciting, but I really look forward to the Haggadah itself. When it comes to telling the story of our ancestors' escape from Egypt, the leaders of the Seder are commanded to do whatever it takes to keep everyone's attention. Rabbinic literature even goes so far as to allow adults to bribe children with candy and treats to sit at the table, listen, and participate! The one thing the Seder is NOT allowed to be is boring.   Second Night Seder is the time to shake things up-to fulfill the mitzvah of telling the story of our ancestor's exodus from Egypt, and to do it with a lot of engagement. At Temple Emanu-El that means extra singing, extra games, maybe even extra wine! Passover is one of the nights each year where our congregation truly becomes a family.   Thinking back two years, Purim 2020 was the last in-person event we held at Temple Emanu-El before we entered lockdown. That made Passover 2020 the … [Read more...]

"What's the best part about being Jewish?", I asked a group of 6th-grade boys today. The only three answers were (in order): the food, the holidays, and Shabbat! They're not wrong. And the best place in the world to experience it all (besides Temple Emanu-El), is in ISRAEL. Nothing compares to the food in Israel. There is no replicating fresh veggies and fruits, falafel and hummus, and a cold Coke with fries on a warm Tel Aviv day at the beach, not in New York, not in Los Angeles, and not in Atlanta. When you're with Rabbi Spike, Rabbi Rachael, and me in Jerusalem on Ben Sira St. or right off the Tel Aviv beach on Carmel St., you'll get the culinary experience of a lifetime. Even though this trip to Israel won't have a major Jewish holiday, the real eye-opening experience is to welcome Shabbat with 7 million people all at once. When we're in Jerusalem for Shabbat this June, you will hear the noise of traffic, of shops, of the whole city start to quiet. Then, the sounds of prayer, of … [Read more...]

Be Happy!…no one ever wants to be told, "Oh, you're feeling down, why not just try and be happy!" Yet this is exactly how we're supposed to try and feel in the month of Adar.   Like many of you, I can't sit in my comfortable and safe home and not worry about the war in Ukraine. I've especially been thinking about the irony between the happiness of the month of Adar and the horrible state of affairs in Ukraine. How are the Ukrainian Jews supposed to be happy this month? How are they going to celebrate Purim?  The Babylonian word, Adar, is not so different from the Hebrew word Adir, meaning strength. Happiness takes strength. The Ukrainian community is mustering all their strength to protect their nation as the women and children head to surrounding borders for safety.  Tomorrow night, join me and Dr. Artie Gumer in prayer and community as I share the moving story of how a rabbi and her daughter fled from Odessa last week.  The rabbi of Odessa shared, "We plan to have an amazing … [Read more...]

It is interesting that the shoresh/root of the Hebrew word for sacrifice (of animals) also serves as the root for the word meaning to 'draw close.' This is not surprising, as the point of biblical sacrifice was to bring the Jewish individual, and our community, closer to God.  Today, we are (thankfully) not a religion that employs animal sacrifice; however, many of us do express our religious commitment by 'sacrificing' our time. This Friday is our annual Shabbat service where we honor a few select congregants whose volunteerism helps progress our congregation towards Tikkun Olom (healing a broken world). Their example is lionized, in part, because it is inspiring. Each of the congregants whom we are honoring with the 'Shirley Schiffer Volunteerism' award has dedicated a tremendous amount of their time, and energy, for the sake of others. None of them does it for the recognition.  For each, their labor is from the heart.  Done with Joy. Won't you join me tomorrow night at Shabbat … [Read more...]

We all woke up this morning to a world that had changed overnight. Russia's invasion of Ukraine presents a terrible scenario of a suffering, pain, and loss of life. Further, it promises a destabilized Europe, and thus, a further destabilized world. The Jewish community of Ukraine is especially on my mind, for history shows that amidst armed conflict and uncertainty, often the Jews of the land are especially vulnerable. (If you would like to support the Ukraine Jewry through these days to come, doing so through the World Union For Progressive Judaism's Ukraine Crisis Fund). Jewish prayers traditionally carve out space for us to pray for peace. In fact, our Sages suggest that anytime we are praying as a community, we must prayer for peace. Perhaps tying into the theology that if we pray for it, God will 'hear' it, and act accordingly. Or, perhaps our prayers tie into the idea that we ought to be aware of those who suffer in conflict, even if our land is quiet.  For no one can be an … [Read more...]