Ok! I'm going to invite you to something incredibly cool, and meaningful, that we are trying out here at Temple Emanu-El. Saturday night, September 9th, we are going to have our S'lichot service outside, under the stars. S'lichot is what I call 'the soft opening' for the High Holidays and is meant to put us in a certain headspace a few days before Rosh HaShanah. Your rabbis have spent considerable time finding poetry[i] from contemporary poets to weave between the beautiful traditional prayers that are sung as we prepare for the High Holidays. We will include the age-old custom of changing our Torah covers to their white mantels, representing purity and the wish that through our 'internal wrestling', our slate will be once again clean (white as snow" -Isaiah 1:18) And… we will introduce a 'new custom', one that involves fire! As part of our (short) service, you will have the chance to write down your regrets from this past year (what you would like to change about yourself, … [Read more...]
Fabulous Jewish Education with the Classrooms to Match!
The Diamond Family Religious School is welcoming two big updates! First, thanks to the generosity of our members at the Spring Forward event in April, construction is actively taking place to upgrade many of our religious school classrooms with fresh paint, ceiling tiles, floors, rugs, cabinetry, and shades. Our classroom aesthetic will finally match the level of learning that has been taking place in our Religious School wing. Second, we have made a big shift in our 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade curriculums to reflect our values as a congregation. Temple Emanu-El prides itself on being a Reform Zionist congregation. This means we value the following: A safe and secure Jewish and democratic state in the Land of Israel. A commitment to helping Israel realize its values as described in its Declaration of Independence: peace with her neighbors and full civil, human, and religious rights for all citizens. An Israeli society reflective of both democratic values and religious … [Read more...]
A Honey Harvest for Temple Emanu-El
When we first welcomed our two hives of honeybees in the spring, our mantra was that this was a learning experience first, and if we got some honey, it would be purely a bonus. Months of hard work from our Bee Team and the honeybees themselves have yielded three frames of honey (about 15 lbs.). Metaphors between Judaism and honeybees are endless but very poignant in this case. Enjoying the honey of our labors is truly a celebration. After these High Holy Days, we will celebrate our first harvest to start the new year off with true Temple Emanu-El sweetness. Learning more and more about beekeeping has raised our awareness of our impact on our local environment. Pesticides, herbicides, and the presence or lack thereof of native plants all affect our tiny furry friends, who are essential to our food! I am reminded of a passage in the story of Adam and Eve where God charges Adam with stewardship over all the natural world. Our ability to harness nature means that we also have a sacred … [Read more...]
Irons Sharpen Irons
As the good book says, "As iron sharpens iron, so too does one friend sharpen the wit of another." * Yes, they were probably talking about some lofty vision of friendship and studying Torah, but this verse about irons can be interpreted in another "lofty" way. When friends play golf together, they push one another to be better-one player's irons sharpen the skill of their friend. Together, their friendship emerges improved. This is how Tanach talks about golf. I'll admit it. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed golf when I took up the sport during the pandemic. I've played basketball and soccer my whole life. The idea of playing a relatively stationary sport like golf rarely crossed my mind. I did not expect to like it, but I soon realized how much I was missing. In the years since I've discovered how endlessly challenging the game can be. More than that, I've realized how much fun the social part of golf is. When I spend 3 ½ hours with someone on the course, there is a deeper bond … [Read more...]
J Street is crossing a bright red line
Last week, I joined more than 1,000 Jewish community leaders for an emergency briefing hosted by the Union for Reform Judaism following the Knesset's passage of the "reasonableness" bill. Among the presenters was Rabbi Gilad Kariv, a current Knesset member from the Labor Party - the first Reform rabbi to serve in Knesset - and a trusted voice on core issues that matter to the Reform Jewish community. Kariv didn't mince words and passionately urged us to stand resolutely with Israelis protesting the judicial overhaul. Then he was asked a question that many American rabbis have fielded from congregants, and has recently appeared in various op-ed pieces: Should America condition foreign aid to Israel? Kariv's message was clear. "Leave the foreign aid aside." "We are not allowed to forget the existential threats…We need to understand that there are a few red lines that we cannot cross. Conditioning foreign aid is one of those bright red lines." This is a critical distinction for … [Read more...]
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