Remember, Passover is more than the Seder (or pl. Sedarim). For some in our community, you will engage in your Second Night Seder this evening: Perhaps doing exactly what you did last night or even something radically different. For others, you are now in the midst of observing Passover for the remaining biblically ordained 7 (and some of you go with 8) days of Passover.* We’ve asked the question: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” But this year, we are leaning into an extended question: “Why is this Passover, the full week, different from all other years?” The majority of us have never been so at-home for Passover. We’ve never been so plagued. We’ve never been so physically removed from the rest of the world. And yet, though we haven’t had the experience, our ancestors have. As a part of our collective and communal memory, our people have faced this kind of exile throughout generations past. It’s in our spiritual DNA to come together as a community through hardship, … [Read more...]

Pesach is my favorite holiday of the year. I love the food, storytelling, and singing. However, most of all, I love that the Seder house, no matter the size of the home or the company, always feels packed with loved ones and family. No matter how we celebrate, this Pesach will feel very different. The Four Questions take on an entirely new and added meaning this year. Why is this Seder different from all other Seders? Let us count the ways. Instead of celebrating Pesach with only our immediate family and friends, we will be able to celebrate with people far and wide, as a Temple Emanu-El community, and in ways we have never done before. Yes, we will miss the hugs and kisses from family and friends, but we will make up for that with the smiles, laughter, and good discussions that will fill the airwaves this year. The story of Pesach has an eternal meaning to it. The story of a people once enslaved, now free from tyranny is one that has resonated with the Western world for hundreds of … [Read more...]

You, and everyone who you love, has changed their social patterns for fear of catching and spreading the Corona virus. You are watching the world around us adjust in traumatic ways ranging from the stock market to politics. Even though you know that it is temporary, you can’t hug your parents or grandkids. These times are tough. As a Jew, when things get tough, I turn to Torah.  And this week, from across the chasm of generations comes both advice and a message. It is profound. First, a little background.  After leaving Egypt, God gives our Israelite ancestors the task of building a Mishkan (traveling tabernacle) in order to help us overcome our individual slave tendencies so that we can re-create ourselves as a (holy) community.   God promises us that if we can all participate, and do the hard work, then our reward will be that God’s “presence will come down to dwell among” us. (Exodus 25:8) At the end of Exodus (last week’s Torah portion), the Mishkan is completed!  This is a big … [Read more...]

The phrase of 2020 may very well become "social distancing." This term is the call for us to remain apart from one another so that we can end the spread of COVID-19. But I'd like us to use a different term: "Physical distancing." We may be physically distant from one another this week and for an unknown amount of time moving forward, but we have the opportunity to remain socially and spiritually close. Ironically, our Torah portion this week, Vayakhel-Pekudei, begins with the word vayakehl, meaning, assemble. That's right. In the midst of physical distancing, our Torah portion speaks of the gathering and coming together of the Israelites. And why are they coming together? They're coming together to build something beautiful, the Mishkan, God's dwelling place as they travel through the wilderness. Friends, we too are building a new Mishkan together this week, a digital gathering place to bring God's presence into our lives, into our homes, and to be with our families. Now, the … [Read more...]

For most of us, our time and attention this week is focused on the evolving realities of the Coronavirus, and how it is effecting our daily lives, our near-future plans, and the health and safety of our loved ones. Clearly inconveniences and disappointments, some of them very real, are right next to feelings of acute concern, and even fear.  For many of us, appropriate social distancing and organizational caution are necessary steps to take to be as protected as we are able to be. As a rabbi, and as a Jew, my authentic response (in addition to trying to be ‘smart’ about exposure) is to turn to prayer. The mistake that many make is to automatically hear the word ‘prayer’ and dismiss it as an idiom for ‘doing nothing’.  To the contrary, I mean ‘prayer’ as an active, intentional attempt to express myself as being in relationship with The Divine. The famous adage from World War II is that there are “no atheists in the foxholes,” meaning, that when things are tough, people are more able … [Read more...]