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...]

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...]

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...]

In this week's Torah cycle, we study parshat Miketz, the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis. These narratives, and the character of our spiritual ancestors, often go beyond relaying generational lessons of morality and perseverance. With time (sometimes), we learn to care about the individuals portrayed in Torah.  We begin to 'know' them and to see ourselves in who they are.  By spending time with them, we learn about ourselves in ways that are profound. The character of Joseph begins as a 'know it all' teen-ager who is somewhat of a brat. He is hated by his brothers because he is his parents' favorite and treated as such. Keeping it a secret from their father (Jacob), his brothers betray him to a fate worse than death. From pit to pit to pit, Joseph is thrown into a hole, sold into slavery, and finally tossed into prison. Yet at each segway, through strength of character (and perhaps superb executive functioning) he is recognized and rewarded with a certain amount of … [Read more...]

Max and I moved into our first home this summer. As we explored our street, we took a look at the doorposts of the other houses, looking for mezuzot, trying to see if we were the only Jewish family on the block. We found one other home and brought them challot for Shabbat to extend a sort of "Hello, you're not the only Jewish family on the block anymore!" At this Chanukah season, we will retake a walk around the block, and perhaps those without mezuzot may still have a Chanukah menorah shining proudly from their living room window, letting the light of their Jewish pride shine out into the world. My prayer for our community is that we put Jewish pride at the forefront of our minds - that we proudly display chanukiyot in our front windows - and that such a display allows us to connect with other Jewish families in our neighborhood. It's a lonely world out there these days. This year, I pray that the light of the menorah will act as a reminder that though we may be distant, we are not … [Read more...]