Passover is weeks away, and many of us have started to make preparations to gather and share our central story of our Exodus from Egypt. (If you would like to join us for 2nd night seder, register HERE.) In Torah times, this preparation would include a journey to our nation’s capital, Jerusalem. From the four corners of Israel, our people would travel by foot to bring their sacrifices to The Temple, where they would be received by the Levite priests. Accounts of this sojourn (taken three times a year, at Passover, Shavuot and Sukhot) relay that although our ancestors were mindful that it was for a serious purpose, there also was very much an element of celebration that would occur once they were in Jerusalem. We can picture it: a city with people, tons of catching up with old friends, and meeting lots of good people who were very much like you. Last week a group of about 30 Temple Emanu-El congregants made a similar journey to our nation’s capital in Washington, DC. We were there … [Read more...]
Pesach and Bearing Witness
Jewish humor always has a little edge of darkness to it. Take for instance the familiar summary of 99% of our holidays: “They tried to kill us, we won, now let’s eat!” For thousands of years, the best we could hope to celebrate is the fact that we were present. We could use this to describe Chanukah, Purim, Pesach, Yom HaAtzmeut, and even Sukkot. In truth, celebrations like Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, holidays that have nothing to do with warfare, are partly celebrations of Jewish survival. On all these days, we thank God for enabling us to reach this occasion with the words of shehechiyanu. We quietly acknowledge that so many of our ancestors were not able to celebrate their Judaism freely. On these days, and in every moment that we actively acknowledge our Judaism, we bear witness to the history of our people: to the Golden Ages and the eras of oppression. With Purim in the rearview mirror and Pesach coming soon, we begin to reflect on our national story--older than 1948 and 1776. … [Read more...]
The Power of Showing Up
On Tuesday night I attended the interfaith vigil held at the Istanbul Islamic Center in Alpharetta to honor the victims of the Christchurch, New Zealand terrorist attack. As I arrived to the parking lot, I wasn’t exactly sure where to go, so I approached a woman with a hijab, thinking she would know the way. She embraced me with a warm smile, held my arms and said, “Thank you for being here, this means the world to me and my community to see someone like you show up.” I knew the exact feeling, because it was the same one that touched my soul as I looked around our sanctuary during the vigil we held for the victims of the Tree of Life shooting. People from outside our Jewish community showed up and their presence gave me strength. On Tuesday night, other members of our congregation and I showed up to give the Muslim community strength — to stand strong together. Throughout the program, the message was very clear: We must stand together in the face of hate. We must stand against those … [Read more...]
Existential meaning in the Afikomen
Believe it or not, Passover is around the corner! Above all else, Pesach lionizes Jewish memory. We cannot overstate the importance of remembering our emancipation from Egypt, and how our story has shaped the Western world in ways that are profound. But, I’m talking about a different type of memory- the memory that you have of joy around the seder table, of recipes and aromas, of Mah Nishtanas and laughter. Purposefully, much of the seder is designed to evoke questions, so that we can better engage our children (and ourselves) in The Story. The Exodus that happened once upon a time, and, like ripples in a still pond, continues in every age where Jews reside. In an effort to make the seder fun, we have the tradition of hiding the afikomen (Greek for ‘dessert’). Symbolic of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the birth canal of the Israelite nation, early in the service, the middle piece of matza is split in half. (split like the sea…get it?) One-half remains on the table, while the … [Read more...]
The Many Ways to Torah
Last Thursday, an interfaith group of congregants, from Northbrook United Methodist Church in Roswell and some of our own friends and family from Temple Emanu-El, gathered for the first of a four-part series on building dialogue between our two faith communities. Most of our guests had never been in a synagogue or seen a Torah scroll before. As we all gathered on the bimah that evening, we removed the Torah from the Ark, opened it up, and we each explained what makes the Torah so special to our people. Each member of Temple Emanu-El has a different connection to the Torah. Some of us connect to the Torah, because we have helped write the scroll itself. Some of us have helped to pass the Torah down to the next generation at B’nai Mitzvah ceremonies. Some of us find that connection when we send our children to the Diamond Family Religious School. What truly connects us all is our deeply held belief to give the next generation the gifts that we were given. Tonight (Thursday), we are … [Read more...]
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