This week's Torah portion is 'Noah' from the book of Genesis. The Torah tells us that God's reason for drowning the world was that it was full of 'hamas', which translates into senseless violence. Now, the fact that the terrorist organization Hamas is an Arabic acronym for something, and totally separate from the Hebrew word, does not take away from a dazzling coincidence that is very much on our minds as the war between Israel and Hamas rages. Like many of you, so much of my attention, worry, and concern is with Israel right now, and on the local impact of this war for America, and American Jews. We all know that the predictions for the conflict are not short and that it may last a while (weeks? or months?).  Throughout the Jewish world, we are girding ourselves (from Left to Right) for a prolonged conflict with the resolution being the elimination of Hamas.   Hopefully with as few innocents being killed as possible. This is a no-win situation for anyone.  But doing nothing, or less … [Read more...]

Since the Hamas attacks this past Shabbat, I find that most of each day I feel like I am underwater.  Waves of emotions ranging from sadness to confusion to anger wash through me, leaving me each time on an empty shore of anguish and grief.  My sleep is interrupted by thoughts and images from Israel.  Colors are muted.  I feel no joy. Like many of us, I am in mourning. Tonight, our Sanctuary will serve as a House of Mourning.  We will be together, as is Jewish tradition, to mourn, and not alone. Most hauntingly on my mind are the Israelis (and other foreign nationals) who have been kidnapped by Hamas and brought over into Gaza.  Estimates put their number at about 150, and they range from infants to Holocaust survivors, young men and women, children, parents, and grandmothers.  Each one with a name. For those of you who have been with us at bar/bat mitzvah services over recent years, often we will introduce the Nissim b'chol yom (daily miracle prayers) as prayers meant to be taken both … [Read more...]

Sukkot is a holiday with many mitzvot, shaking the lulav and etrog and building a sukkah are easily the most prominent. Yet, my favorite mitzvah on Sukkot is the commandment to be joyful. Yes, on Sukkot, we are commanded to be joyful! However, this joy is not like Chanukah, Purim, or Pesach. Typically, Jewish holidays that emphasize joy also emphasize drinking, but not so in the case of Sukkot. Our sages teach us that Sukkot is different. Our joy on Sukkot should not come from wine or any kind of alcohol. Instead, our joy should come from service to God. One interpretation of how we serve God best on Sukkot is to welcome guests into our Sukkah. At Temple Emanu-El, we take this commandment to welcome guests seriously.   Earlier this week, thirty Temple Emanu-El members celebrated Sukkot with dozens of members from the Istanbul Cultural Center in Alpharetta and St. Luke's Presbyterian in Dunwoody. In the spirit of the holiday, we celebrated outdoors by the sukkah, ate a harvest-themed … [Read more...]

Sukkot is almost here and Simchat Torah is right around the corner.   This Friday night (09/29) we're going to bring in the first night of Sukkot and Shabbat. Then, on Friday, October 6th, we're having a BIG Simchat Torah celebration and a congregation-wide Friday with Friends dinner. We will unroll the entire Torah scroll in the sanctuary and consecrate our youngest learners' Jewish journeys as they formally begin their Jewish education.  If you've never been, it is a sight to see and an energy to feel.    Click here to register for dinner at 5:45 p.m. and services at 6:30 p.m.  For those who attended Yizkor at Yom Kippur:   Saturday, October 7th, is another time in our Jewish calendar to hold Yizkor services. I know many of you will say, "Didn't I just do a Yizkor service at Yom Kippur?" The answer is yes, AND, this is another time to remember your loved ones (brief service at 8:30am).  Following the Yizkor service there will be a unique Torah study at 9:00am. While typically offered … [Read more...]

We are now in the midst of the yamin noraim/ the Days of Awe, those ten days that begin with Rosh HaShanah and end with Yom Kippur. Our Sages describe Yom Kippur as a 'doorway', an existential threshold from which we can pause, look back, gaze forward, and fortify ourselves for what is to come. Judaism has always held doorways as places of vulnerability because they are liminal, the space between here and there.  This is why Jews in ancient Babylonia buried bowls of water underneath their doorways, and Jews of ancient Egypt put lamb's blood above their gates, to keep their spiritual thresholds strong, and misfortune from entering their homes. It is why we Jews today put a mezuzah on our doorposts, with prayers inside that contain the letters for the Divine name of Shaddai, an acronym for Shomeir delatot Yisrael- Guardian of the doorways of Israel.[i] Doorways are symbolic markers between boundaries. Yom Kippur is the gate that separates who we were last year from who we can be in the … [Read more...]