In the ten years since the sub-prime mortgage crisis, we have all become keenly aware that home ownership, wealth, or success are all tenuous. Our parasha this week, B’har teaches this wisdom in a radical way. The Torah says that all of humanity are just residents living on God’s land. Our hubris might tell us that we own “x amount of acres” or square feet, but the Torah is clear in its understanding of who owns the land. As far as landlords go, God is a pretty good one to have. In the Torah, God promises that the Israelites will flourish on the land for as long as they follow God’s ways: giving tzedakah, treating others with dignity, and taking care of the earth. We will suffer in equal ways if we disobey God’s standards. It’s not that God doesn’t believe in private property; rather, this radical law is meant to loosen the vice grip we may have around owning “stuff.” In essence, God’s proclamation that we are but renters on the land is meant to remind us that there are many, many more … [Read more...]

We count all the time. If you have three kids, you count to three a lot: perhaps counting down to request a change in behavior, and sometimes counting up to make sure you have all three kids with you. We count down to birthdays, weddings, vacations, and more. This time of year, however, the Jewish tradition of counting is quite different. Like the love we have for our children when we count up, at this time of year, we are counting up the days of the Omer. This counting began at our second-night Seder and will continue until we reach the number 49 and then we will mark the next day with the holiday of Shavuot. In biblical times, like most of our holidays, this was about marking the beginning of the barley harvest. In this week’s Torah portion, Emor, we read, “You shall count from the eve of the second day of Pesach when an omer of grain is to be brought as an offering, seven complete weeks. The day after the seventh week of your counting will make fifty days, and you shall present a … [Read more...]

As I write this Kesher Quick message (and likely as you read it), we are in the final hours of Yom Hatzmayut, which is Israel’s Independence Day. In Israel (hours ahead of us), this day is one that follows Yom HaZikaron, which is Israel’s Memorial Day for her fallen soldiers. The two days are commemorated and celebrated (respectively) by the entire Jewish Israeli society, for they intimately understand that the lives of their fathers, sons, brothers, mothers, daughters and sisters were given in battle in order for their tiny Jewish country to exist.   So that they, their children, and their grandchildren could live. Yom HaZikaron comes with the annual national realization that they owe it to their dead (and just about every family has someone) to mourn them as a country… but then, with the setting sun separating the holidays, to celebrate all that now is possible. What are our people celebrating with Yom Haztmayut? It is more than just a national birthday (dianu). It is more than … [Read more...]

Marking Yom HaShoah This morning, millions of Israelis paused their day and stood at attention. Drivers pulled their cars over, those shopping at the shuk for Shabbat set down their bags, and students stood silently at their school ceremonies. Today is a day we remember. Today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. In America, we participate in vigils, light candles at home, and share stories of family members who survived and those who did not. We continue to speak about the tragedies of the past so that history never repeats itself. After the attack on the Jewish community of Poway last Shabbat, we mourn the loss of life at the hands of hatred once again targeting our community for simply for being Jewish. On Yom HaShoah, we revisit these feelings and we stand tall as American Jews and declare, Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people live! We will not bow down or turn away in the face of hate. Throughout our declarations of faith and strength, we remain vigilant. In a review of 2018 … [Read more...]

Part of Temple Emanu-El’s mission to be a welcoming space for all is to help those who wish to deepen their connection to Judaism. Many of us have spent years in religious school, adult education courses, or in weekly Shabbat morning Chevre Torah. Whether we realize it or not, we hold a wealth of Jewish knowledge when it comes to culture, community, and faith; however, there are also those who are seeking a taste of Judaism for the first time. Many of these individuals come from different religious backgrounds and have fallen in love and created families with members of the Jewish people. Maybe these interfaith families want to introduce their spouse to the basic ideas of Jewish culture, faith, and community. Some of these individuals are prospective Jews-by-choice, those who want to formally join the Jewish people through the sacred act of conversion. Others who are looking for a taste of Judaism are our friends and neighbors from other faith traditions who have always been curious … [Read more...]