We are now in the midst of the yamin noraim/ the Days of Awe, those ten days that begin with Rosh HaShanah and end with Yom Kippur. Our Sages describe Yom Kippur as a 'doorway', an existential threshold from which we can pause, look back, gaze forward, and fortify ourselves for what is to come. Judaism has always held doorways as places of vulnerability because they are liminal, the space between here and there.  This is why Jews in ancient Babylonia buried bowls of water underneath their doorways, and Jews of ancient Egypt put lamb's blood above their gates, to keep their spiritual thresholds strong, and misfortune from entering their homes. It is why we Jews today put a mezuzah on our doorposts, with prayers inside that contain the letters for the Divine name of Shaddai, an acronym for Shomeir delatot Yisrael- Guardian of the doorways of Israel.[i] Doorways are symbolic markers between boundaries. Yom Kippur is the gate that separates who we were last year from who we can be in the … [Read more...]

Dear Beloved Temple Emanu-El, Tomorrow night begins Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, and the start of our High Holidays.  The year will be 5784, which means that we Jews have been here for a VERY long time. Whether you believe it or not, we have been telling ourselves that God has tapped us to be God's partner, in order to take the world from where it is, to where it ought to be from darkness to light, from brokenness to wholeness, from injustice to justice.  This is known as tikkun olam, and it is part of the Jewish raison d'etra. When we talk about the 'meaning of life', THIS is part of the Jewish conversation.  Tikkun Olam is part of 'why' we are here.  Towards this goal, every Jewish generation is supposed to do its part.  And every individual Jew is supposed to do their part to move the proverbial needle. This does not mean that other peoples cannot do this work… please (!) there is so much to do; but it does reflect our mission, the one that we believe (and have believed … [Read more...]

Ok!  I'm going to invite you to something incredibly cool, and meaningful, that we are trying out here at Temple Emanu-El. Saturday night, September 9th, we are going to have our S'lichot service outside, under the stars.  S'lichot is what I call 'the soft opening' for the High Holidays and is meant to put us in a certain headspace a few days before Rosh HaShanah. Your rabbis have spent considerable time finding poetry[i] from contemporary poets to weave between the beautiful traditional prayers that are sung as we prepare for the High Holidays. We will include the age-old custom of changing our Torah covers to their white mantels, representing purity and the wish that through our 'internal wrestling', our slate will be once again clean (white as snow" -Isaiah 1:18) And… we will introduce a 'new custom', one that involves fire!  As part of our (short) service, you will have the chance to write down your regrets from this past year (what you would like to change about yourself, … [Read more...]

The Diamond Family Religious School is welcoming two big updates!   First, thanks to the generosity of our members at the Spring Forward event in April, construction is actively taking place to upgrade many of our religious school classrooms with fresh paint, ceiling tiles, floors, rugs, cabinetry, and shades.  Our classroom aesthetic will finally match the level of learning that has been taking place in our Religious School wing.   Second, we have made a big shift in our 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade curriculums to reflect our values as a congregation.   Temple Emanu-El prides itself on being a Reform Zionist congregation. This means we value the following:   A safe and secure Jewish and democratic state in the Land of Israel.  A commitment to helping Israel realize its values as described in its Declaration of Independence: peace with her neighbors and full civil, human, and religious rights for all citizens.  An Israeli society reflective of both democratic values and religious … [Read more...]

When we first welcomed our two hives of honeybees in the spring, our mantra was that this was a learning experience first, and if we got some honey, it would be purely a bonus. Months of hard work from our Bee Team and the honeybees themselves have yielded three frames of honey (about 15 lbs.). Metaphors between Judaism and honeybees are endless but very poignant in this case. Enjoying the honey of our labors is truly a celebration. After these High Holy Days, we will celebrate our first harvest to start the new year off with true Temple Emanu-El sweetness.   Learning more and more about beekeeping has raised our awareness of our impact on our local environment. Pesticides, herbicides, and the presence or lack thereof of native plants all affect our tiny furry friends, who are essential to our food! I am reminded of a passage in the story of Adam and Eve where God charges Adam with stewardship over all the natural world. Our ability to harness nature means that we also have a sacred … [Read more...]