What if they use the money to buy drugs or alcohol? We can’t possibly know what they’ll do with it, can we? During rabbinical school in Cincinnati, I lived in a beautiful, walkable neighborhood surrounded by Victorian-style houses, apartments, shops, and the characters of Ludlow Avenue. Just a two-minute walk from my apartment we had a theatre that showed artsy films and midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show. We had the Moroccan restaurant, Graeter’s ice cream, coffee shops, our neighborhood bar, a small, unbecoming concert venue, and lots and lots of people. When I walked to Ludlow Ave, I always carried dollar bills, because, on the corner of Telford and Ludlow, there was usually someone standing there, asking for money. This person was familiar; they were often there with their kind eyes and gentle demeanor. But every once in a while, some new faces were asking for money. One evening, on my way to meet friends at the neighborhood bar, a man approached me to see if I had a … [Read more...]
Blessings to Our Graduates
This week’s parshah, Naso, has us poised in the desert wilderness, neither here nor there, but ready to move on to the next step of the journey. The Torah goes on to describe how the twelve tribes (our ancestors) were encamped around the Ark of the Covenant, with each tribe sporting a degel machaneh, a flag of that camp; for all the world to see. When it was time for the Israelite people to move forward, trumpet blasts were sounded, and each tribe, led by its flag, its degel machaneh, would together move forward into the unknown. But how would they know when to move forward, and when to stay put? God gave our ancestors a signal to follow- a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. When the pillar rested above the Mishkan, our portable tabernacle, that meant that we were to remain camped. This was a time to regroup, to refresh, and find our balance. But when that pillar moved, that was our signal to break camp and move with it. This liminal state of … [Read more...]
The Spiritual Big Bang
This Saturday night, starting at 6pm here at Temple Emanu-El, we will begin our evening of learning to celebrate Shavuot. Shavuot is the holiday that commemorates God’s revelation of Torah to the Jewish people, and our ability to receive it (continuously) today. Do you believe that God revealed the Torah to Moses on Sinai? Or, do you believe that the Torah was written by dozens of authors over centuries, with (perhaps) The Divine in the editing process? Either way, Judaism holds that you are able to actively participate in an ongoing spiritual evolution that gradually has the potential to bring you, and the world, towards a place of goodness, justice, and meaning. Shavuot is our annual celebration of this possibility. In conjunction with some of our neighboring Reform Synagogues, we will have the chance to engage in a spiritual sing-along (outside, weather permitting), options to learn in short study sessions with various rabbis, and have a traditional diary (cheesecake) … [Read more...]
Rabbi, what’s the point of ritual in the 21st century?
We may remember those early days of a new school, a new summer camp, or a new job as being chaotic. However, we become veterans at something when we develop a routine, rituals, for our day to day lives. For our kids or grandkids, the ritual might be playing with their friends at recess or eating lunch with the same people, or sitting in the same seat in the classroom. For us, the rituals could be date nights with friends or loved ones, morning meditations we have around a cup of coffee, or the spiritual moments we take for ourselves at the end of a day, a week, or a year. Ritual is a gateway to make sense of an otherwise chaotic world. When we press pause on Shabbat, we make a ritual out of rest. We force ourselves to pull back from the daily grind--from the trees--and appreciate the greater world--the whole forest. The best kinds of ritual are the ones that help us to become more aware of ourselves, our connection with others, and in some special cases, with God. Anyone who has … [Read more...]
The Practice of Being Enough
Have you ever heard a person say, “I am a bad Jew”? I hear it all the time, usually in response to something having to do with Jewish life or spirituality. Upon further inquiry, I usually find out what that statement means. Sometimes it means, “I don’t know as much as I feel I ought to know.” Or, “I don’t go to synagogue, for various reasons having to do with finances, habits, or lack of time.” Or, “Last time I thought about religion or spirituality, I was thirteen years old and I have not picked up a book about Judaism or had a teacher since because life is crazy busy.” Often times, it is also “one of my parents, or my spouse, is not Jewish and I have been made to feel less than.” I recognize this issue, as it comes up for me in a multitude of ways. When am I enough? What does it mean to be enough? These questions are ubiquitous and come up for people in all concepts of their identity: parenthood, attractiveness, education, job success, and social status. Usually, underneath … [Read more...]
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