I just had an intense conversation with a congregant who is a friend, about her desire to infuse our basic Shabbat rituals, like lighting candles, with spirituality. More specifically, she relayed to me that she was raised doing these rituals, but resented them, because they seemed void of ‘meaning’, and thus, she grew up resenting them. This might sound familiar to some of you. What I suggested to my friend is to make an effort to slow those rituals down, and then to articulate the symbolism of the ritual. With our Shabbat candles, this would involve gathering your family around you, dimming the lights, and letting a pregnant moment create some light drama. Then a preamble, perhaps about bringing light into a world that can seem dark… or that we have the power to light the candle and thus, if we choose, are bringers of light. The prayer, giving credit to God for empowering us with choice and allowing light to illuminate, can be explicitly credited as a metaphor for all the … [Read more...]
Modim Anachu Lach, We Give Thanks to You
Today and this weekend, Americans of all stripes will gather around a table for a seder of sorts. While there is not a set hagadah, Thanksgiving is the time that we recount our blessings and our journeys as a collective. A little over a month after the High Holy Days we measure the progress we have made in our commitments for the new year. Thanksgiving is a time to look into the eyes of friends and family and acknowledge that despite the challenges we face, we have much for which to be thankful. Modim anachu lach This past Thursday, a week before Thanksgiving, Rachael and I were gifted the opportunity to be a part of history, the ordination of the 100th Reform rabbis in Israel. Thanks to the generosity of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and donors from Hebrew Union College, we stood in awe of the time and place. With the medieval walls of Jerusalem as our backdrop, we prayed Hatikvah, and watched as the newest rabbis of Israel were ordained. In a country which struggles to find … [Read more...]
Empty of Ego, Filled With God
In the Hasidic text, Birkat Avraham[i], Rabbi Shmuel B. Nachman speaks about the moment of intense despair that some people, at some point feel… a despair that despite your efforts, you have nothing to show for it…not materially, not spiritually, not socially. Rabbi Shmuel claims that this moment can be, not the nadir of spiritual connection to God, but actually a ‘summit cornerstone’ – for it is in the utter despair that we are as closely empty of ego that we will ever get. If we are open to God in those moments, there is more of us for God to fill. Think of a vessel, the more empty it is, the more space there is for something else… which, can be, if we realize that even in our despair we are in a Holy Place, even if we did not know it… truly Kaddosh…sacred. The Jacob narrative in Torah, these next two weeks of parshiot, relay the story of a man (a teen really) who has made tremendous mistakes, horrific errors in judgement, and committed acts of betrayal against his father and … [Read more...]
Celebrating Veteran’s Day Through Shabbat Services
This Friday night we will celebrate Veteran’s Day through Shabbat services. Jews have long served honorably in our armed services. We have stood tall for the best of America’s ideals and, too often, we have paid the ultimate price. In this we are no different than other groups that make up America, but this fact itself is something to lionize: that we Jews, through our brave women and men who served and continue to serve, do our part with open eyes and valor. The same would be true for those who have served, or are active, in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Our Torah is full of exemplars who were forced to fight for their land, and in defense of their loved ones; including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Deborah, and King David (the list is long, these are just a few). Almost without exception, all of our spiritual heroes were reluctant to take their people into battle. We Jews have a long history of being uncomfortable with violence, and this is a good thing. But … [Read more...]
What’s All This Bowing About?
As a child I remember standing in services looking forward to the chance to bend my knees and bow. It was this exciting change of pace, a time for me to do what the adults were doing. As a teen, I remember seeing how some people bowed and others didn’t and I wondered what was going on — so I went to the rabbi with my question, “What’s all this bowing about?” Maybe you have wondered the same thing. Perhaps you’ve been standing in prayer and suddenly you notice people are bowing and so, you too bow! But you’ve always wondered, why do I bow here and not there? Sometimes it may even look like people are bowing more than others, so who’s doing it “right”? This question of “doing it right,” is an interesting one in prayer, especially in Reform Judaism, where we tend to focus much more on how it makes us feel and less on “is this exactly how we were prescribed and commanded to do it.” As has been codified in our law codes (like the Shulchan Aruch), there are in fact specific moments … [Read more...]
