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Exploring the Silent Space

July 19, 2018 by Rabbi Spike Anderson

We are, in part, defined by the space around us.  Who we are not… what we are not…where we are not. In that space is often unarticulated possibility. Silence. Last night I returned from a private, three day silent retreat hosted at a Catholic monastery in Conyers.  The Monastery of the Holy Spirit is an active haven for Trappist monks, who vow to live a life of beautiful simplicity, much of which is done through silence.  For me, the Abbey provided a sparse but functional room, simple vegetarian food, and lots of space for venerated silence. I’ve spoken before about the qualities of silence, each type being different…and in each of those types of silence I can recognize subtleties of my own spiritual character. After all, it is the space between the piano notes that make the music sing, and it is the space around each letter in Torah that holds a world of potential. So too, the silence around each one of us. I would thank you, my beloved congregation, for … [Read more...]

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Finding Unity in 929 Days

July 19, 2018 by Rabbi Max Miller

The 9th of Av, which we commemorate this Saturday night, is a day of mourning. This is the day, tradition tells us, that the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem and the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. While we lost a sacred space, the holiest place of our people, we Reform Jews mourn the even greater destruction of Jewish unity in the Land of Israel. Unity begins with love for our neighbor and ourselves. Two thousand years later, we still fight for that unity in Israel and America. Some days we make progress, and other days we take a step (or two) back. The Talmud teaches us that the Second Temple was destroyed because of the hatred that existed between human beings.[1] The Jewish people lost whatever unity existed and experienced enormous tragedy. We must restore and strive for the unity that comes with a greater understanding and love for each other. What unites all Jews is a shared text, the Tanakh (an acronym for Torah Neviim-Prophets, and … [Read more...]

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Rabbi, What’s in a Challah?

July 5, 2018 by Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller

We have our basic ingredients: flour, eggs, yeast, water, oil, sugar, and salt. We can even add chocolate chips, raisins, sprinkles, or food coloring — the options are limitless. But there’s more to a challah than her ingredients. There’s time: the time it takes to mix the ingredients, for the yeast to rise, and to knead the dough. There’s the time it takes to let the dough rise, and there’s the time it takes to braid the dough into a beautiful pattern.  There’s the time it takes to bake the challah, and then, there’s everyone’s favorite part, the time it takes to eat the challah! More than time, there are the hands it takes to crack the eggs, the eyes it takes to measure the ingredients, and the taste buds it takes to decide whether or not we made a good batch. More than the senses, there is a spirituality to the challah. We’re making the challah for someone: for ourselves, for our family, or our friends. We’re thinking about who we have made challah with or cooked with in … [Read more...]

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The Fading Rainbow

June 28, 2018 by Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller

It’s been raining for the past two weeks, and with each downpour, I’ve been twisting my head and turning my neck, looking for a rainbow — storm after storm, and I wasn’t having any luck. Then, on Monday night, Rabbi Max and I were driving home from dinner and I finally twisted my head and turned my neck to see THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW. Her arches formed over a golden, violet, and deep blue sky. My jaw dropped as we drove, we made a turn, and then suddenly we were able to see the entire arch of the rainbow. With eyes wide, I began to recite the blessing we have the honor to say upon seeing such a marvelous wonder: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, zocher hab'rit v'neeman biv'rito v'kayam ma-amaro. Blessed are You, Source of Eternity, who remembers, is faithful to, and fulfills Your covenant with a promise to creation. Seeing a rainbow is a reminder that God is in relationship with us, but not just the “us” of the Jewish people. Sure, the rainbow reminds us of … [Read more...]

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Can you perform a mitzvah with something stolen?

June 21, 2018 by Rabbi Max Miller

Alternatively, we could ask whether or not it is allowed to do something that is good or holy while also doing something illegal or spiritually harmful. In the Talmud the rabbis ask this question around a stolen etrog, the lemon shaped fruit used on Sukkot. The rabbis ask whether or not a stolen etrog may be used in the rituals of the holiday. Even though this particular case doesn’t come up often (or ever) in our daily life, the principle is valid everyday. In this week’s parasha, Hukkat, Moses and Aaron are charged with retrieving water from a rock in the desert. Both of these leaders are fed up with the bickering of the Israelites, and in a fit of anger, Moses disobeys God’s instructions for pulling water from a rock. God tells Moses to speak to the rock, and the rock would give forth water; instead, Moses strikes the rock, twice, and the water still comes out. Undoubtedly, giving water to thirsty people in the dessert is a mitzvah (both a good deed and a commandment), but Moses … [Read more...]

Filed Under: kesherquick Tagged With: atlanta, Education, jewish, Kesher Quick, Mitzvah

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