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...]
Broken Sacredness
Sometimes the role of rabbi is to name the existential paradox that we encounter in our daily lives. The joy of the bat mitzvah while the great grandmother awaits burial. The tangible sense of living amongst blessings even as we await test results. The Shabbat service full of joy, even as we comfort the mourners amongst us. Life rarely fits into any uncomplicated, clearly defined set of rules delineating periods of time or emotion. To the contrary. Life is messy. People are complex. The world turns. Sometimes the role of the rabbi is to witness the transitions from darkness into light, like the morning dawn. The daughter who completes her ritual mourning, and begins to resume the welcomed routines of daily existence. The sigh of relief when the treatments are done, and the margins are clear. Lifting up the blessing to the Divine each morning that we have a chance to create, and be created, anew. In this week’s Torah portion, Vayekhel in Exodus, the broken tablets are placed along … [Read more...]
March Music Madness
March is the month for music! Just one week from today, the 10th annual Atlanta Jewish Music Festival begins. “Celebrating Jewish Contributions to Music” brings music for everyone. Here is what I am SUPER excited about: If you are a Jazz/Broadway lover like I am, then you MUST go see the Bill Charlap Trio at the Atlanta History Center. They are playing March 7th @7:30 featuring the Songs of Leonard Bernstein. Leonard Bernstein a prolific composer spanning the gamut from classical music, to Broadway and Jazz, and often utilized sounds and themes of Jewish music. This is a great date night! Movie music and Hollywood lovers will want to check out AJMF’s Salute to Hollywood. You will hear Jewish Contributions to the Academy Awards best Original Songs, held at the Breman Museum Sunday March 10th. If you love Judaism, history, and American popular music, then this next event is for you. Jazz pianist, producer, singer and composer Ben Sidran will bring his interpretation and first person … [Read more...]
Forty Days of Waiting at Sinai and to the Moon
Tonight Israel will write a new chapter in human history. At 8:45pm EST SpaceIL, a privately funded Israeli space exploration company will launch Beresheet, an lunar lander aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. To date, only three countries have ever landed on the moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Forty days from now, Israel will be the fourth country, in human history, to land on the moon. Forty days can pass in the blink of an eye or it can feel like an eternity. For our ancestors wandering in the desert, forty days was enough time to lose faith in God, build a golden calf, and worship a foreign idol. This week’s parasha is Ki Tisa, the parasha in which Moses tells the Israelites that he’ll return in forty days, but he ends up delaying a bit. Forty days of waiting at the foot of Mt. Sinai led the Israelites to throw their hands in the sky and turn to their other leader, Aaron, Moses’ brother, for a new path to follow. Over the next forty days, our … [Read more...]
In Memory of the Victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting
Alyssa Alhadeff, age 14 Scott Beigel, 35 Martin Duque, 14 Nicholas Dworet, 17 Aaron Feis, 37 Jaime Guttenberg, 14 Chris Hixon, 49 Luke Hoyer, 15 Cara Loughran, 14 Gina Montalto, 14 Joaquin Oliver, 17 Alaina Petty, 14 Meadow Pollack, 18 Helena Ramsay, 17 Alex Schachter, 14 Carmen Schentrup, 16 Peter Wang, 15 When 17 souls departed the earth on this date last year in the halls of their high school, the city of Parkland and all of America went into a deep state of grief and mourning. One year later and those affected by the shooting are revisiting their anger, pain, disbelief, and grief. I believe that we were all affected. Many in our community send children to school every day. This five-day routine now includes a deep breath and a brief pause after the words, “I love you, have a good day” are uttered in drop-off lines and at bus stops. When entire communities are touched by grief, suffering, and worry, Judaism offers us a tradition to lean on for support and comfort. Our Mi Shebeirach … [Read more...]
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