Each week I speak with my nervous B'nai Mitzvah students about our Torah, about why we refer to it as our Tree of Life. Some of their responses include: "....The Torah is our foundation, it represents our family tree-our history, it is a part of Creation- it represents God's creation and nature, it gives us life, it gives us roots." " Pretty awesome kids, right? Tu'Bishvat, one of our four Jewish New Years and the 'birthday of the' trees is next week. The Kabbalists regarded this time as sacred; one of spiritual transformation and renewal. Modern, cosmopolitan Jews that we are, dedicate this time toward elevating our environmental concerns. We review our recycling and renewal habits, consider our plant-based diets, ready the ground for gardening, and yes… plant trees! We continue our month-long celebration next week with TE-Talks, as Rabbi Prinz guides us through the world of chocolate. Where would we be without the Cacao Tree? On Shabbat, join us for an … [Read more...]
Truth, Justice, and Peace
In Pirke Avot, we read that "In a place where no one is acting like a human being, be a human being." My parents of blessed memory taught me that "mentschlikite" is the most important aspect of maturity. Be a mentsch, be honest, do good, have integrity. In our Torah portion this week, we find Moses confronting Pharaoh. But before appearing to Pharaoh, Moses says to God, …"The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech…." Moses doesn't quite understand why he is chosen to lead. A stutterer. He is saying why not pick someone who can sell this idea of freeing the Israelites to Pharaoh? Of course, the Rabbis see the reason Moses is chosen. Moses is a Rodef Tzedek. A pursuer of righteousness. Moses, who kills an Egyptian taskmaster without regard to himself. He sees the evil of slavery before him and takes action. So the question from this weeks Torah portion Va-era which not only tells of Moses confronting Pharaoh but lists the … [Read more...]
Barbarians At The Gate
As you read this Kesher Quick, likely you have the news on your mind. Yesterday was a day that contained a myriad of emotions, from rage to sadness to despair. Existential superlatives are on people's lips. Is this a portent for things to come, the end of the American dream? What do we make of the chaos that people would bring to the seat of our government, and how should we judge the elected leadership that empowers it? How will this affect my kids and grandkids, my neighbors…and me? When things get really tough, as a rabbi, I look to our wisdom tradition for guidance. The first words of Torah, "In the beginning," tersely relays how order was made from the chaos, giving levels of structure towards life. Judaism is a religion that seeks to make meaning out of chaos though understanding, respect, and structure. Our mantra really is "l'chayim- to life" because that is what we seek to bring to our homes, our society, and to the world. For everyone, both length of days and … [Read more...]
A Prayer for 2021
Holy Energy of the World, as we ring in the secular New Year, may you strengthen our steps as we move toward the long sought after feeling of new beginnings and changing tides. God of the hopeful and the optimists, may we see our visions fulfilled, that we may find a world with cleaner air, a healthier community, and a world made up of helpers. God of the timid and the pessimists, may we push through the friction of a fractured society, checking in on our neighbors and the stranger in our midst to make sure that we carry one another forward. God of the tired and the weary, may we find the courage from the deepest parts of our soul to continue to place one foot in front of the other. As we pray for healing to the sick, strength and steadiness to the doctors, nurses, caregivers, and frontline workers, we also pray for the mourners, those who are trying to return to their new normal in already uncertain times. We pray for the mothers, too tired to pick up another shift, We pray for the … [Read more...]
Let’s Have an Awkward Conversation
The end of December can be an awkward time to be a Jew in America. I say that December can be an awkward time because there are a myriad of attitudes in our community towards the December holidays. There are those who smile and ignore the greetings of "Merry Christmas." There are those who respond with "Happy Holidays." There are those who respond with a kind reproach that they celebrate Hanukkah and not Christmas. And there are those who respond with "Merry Christmas," because they see the greeting as just another innocuous pleasantry like "Good morning, good afternoon, or good night." I won't prescribe any particular path to take as I have definitely been each of these four people. However, I will suggest that at no other time in the year can we feel more Jewish. In the before-times, when we could gather indoors and sit closer than 6 feet apart, Temple Emanu-El gathered together with congregants from St. Luke's and Northbrook UMC to learn more about one another and draw our … [Read more...]
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