The High Holy Days come with both joy and trepidation. We welcome Rosh Hashanah with bombastic blasts and fanfare. We anxiously anticipate the day we atone for that which we have done wrong, and ask for forgiveness. These Yamim Noraim, ten days of awe, can be quite an emotional rollercoaster. Last year, to great success, we tried something new in addition to our simple Selichot service. We learned together as a congregation. We had a great time together and, as requested, we are bringing it back this year with the opportunity for more in depth study time!! So that we can embrace the rollercoaster, and explore the many facets and motifs present throughout the chagim, we have two exciting opportunities to learn together! Join us on Selichot for some light food and schmoozing, followed by an in-depth study session and short service. Choose one from the following four (amazing!) sessions. Join Rabbi Anderson to “Hear the Shofar of Your Soul.” Enjoy some “Food for Thought” with … [Read more...]
Charlottesville: Our Response
Dear Temple Emanu-El, like staring at the Solar Eclipse, this week we are still dealing with the psychological effects of Charlottesville, and the trouble that is to follow. This week’s Kesher Quick writing is the sermon that I gave this past Friday night in synagogue. May this Shabbat be one of peace for us, and for all America. Shabbat shalom Anderson/Re’eh/8-18-17/ Av 26, 5777/ Temple Emanu-El of Atlanta Tough week this week… Shortly after services last Fri night, 1,000 Neo-Nazi White Supremacists marched past the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. They were armed, (for VA is an open carry state), they were prepared for violence with clubs and shields. And they carried torches. Officially, they were there to protest against the removal of a statue of Robert E Lee, but their real goal was to show that they were not just an internet movement, but also rather a physical force that was ready to show strength and garner support. The torches, of course, were meant … [Read more...]
“Roll into Dark, Roll into Light, Night becomes Day, Day turns to Night”
We sing these words every Erev Shabbat right after we recite Barchu, our official call prayer and the beginning of the Maariv service. These are the evening prayers that follow the Kabbalat Shabbat service (the welcoming or more literally, the receiving of Shabbat). The beginning of the Maariv service is also known as Shema u’Virchotecha, (The Shema and her blessings), which is the basic opening rubric of every evening prayer service.[1] This rubric leads us through three central themes of our history and liturgy: creation, revelation, and redemption.[2] Shema, our declaration of faith in one God lies at the center of these three themes. Maariv Aravim serves as our “creation” liturgy, blessing God for speaking the night into being. This prayer is quite poetic. Joel Hoffman (My People's Prayer Book: Welcoming the Night Vol. 9, p. 49) illucidates that the opening line “asher bidvaro maariv aravim” means much more than “who speaks the evening into being.” Both aravim/erev and … [Read more...]
Anderson: Uplifted by Jerusalem’s Thick Air
The air over Jerusalem is saturated with prayer and dreams. Source: Anderson: Uplifted by Jerusalem’s Thick Air … [Read more...]
New senior rabbi followed unusual road to Temple Emanu-el
On July 1, Temple Emanu-El welcomed its new senior rabbi, Spike Anderson. A leader with a track record of getting things done, his calendar wa… Source: New senior rabbi followed unusual road to Temple Emanu-el … [Read more...]