Earlier this week, I was jolted awake from a dead sleep at 1:10 a.m. by the piercing sound of my smoke detector. This was not the annoying beeping sound those detectors make when you burn the salmon on the cast iron skillet, no, this was the most terrifying, loud, screech that ensured that if something were wrong, I would wake up. This sound blasted through the apartment because the fire alarm in my section of the complex was ringing through the halls. As I gathered some things to exit the apartment, I finally got my breath back, and my first thought was, “I hope everyone is okay, let everyone be okay.” I was undoubtedly holding some other feelings at that moment as well, but I was almost relieved that this was my first reaction, because I don’t believe it would have been my first thought a few months back. However, I had recently studied a teaching by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, also known as Reb Zalman, and a founder of the Renewal movement. He suggests that when we hear a … [Read more...]
Rabbi, what’s the best part of Israel?
You could say the beaches of Tel Aviv, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the tastes and smells of the amazing food, or the sounds of Hebrew, but truly the best part of Israel is the people! When we visit Israel and come back home, the most precious thing we bring back cannot be purchased from any store. The most valuable part of our visit is our relationship with the people. Sadly, not everyone has the opportunity to visit Israel and make these relationships. Fortunately, we as a Temple Emanu-El community, have an amazing opportunity to bring a piece of Israel into our home. This year, Temple Emanu-El will host an incredible young Israeli who will be with us nearly every week. The program that enables us to have such an opportunity is called in Hebrew, “Sh’nat Sherut” or Year of Service (shorthand we call it “Shinshin,” like the letter “shin” said twice). Through the Jewish Federation of Atlanta and the Jewish Agency, each child at Temple Emanu-El will have the opportunity to learn … [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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