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Rabbi's Reveries

Humanity Needs Both/And (November 2023)

11/01/2023 10:00:00 AM

Nov1

At the end of my vacation last month, I was trying to recharge the battery on my rental car (a Tesla) before returning it to the airport. Knowing that charging takes time, I left for the airport four hours before my flight. I started with a Tesla charging station, but I couldn’t figure out how to start charging because there was no screen and there were no buttons. Then I went to another station, but it didn’t...Read more...

Does the End Justify the Beans? (September 2023)

09/01/2023 10:00:00 AM

Sep1

In the musical Into the Woods, the Baker and his Wife argue about the morality of trading “magic” beans for Jack’s all-white, but entirely dried-up cow, which they need to break the Witch’s curse. The Baker’s Wife thinks that the beans are a fair trade—magic beans are certainly worth more than anyone else would pay for a cow that can’t give milk. The Baker, on the other hand, isn’t sure that the beans are magic and worries...Read more...

Be Kind (July 2023)

07/03/2023 10:00:33 PM

Jul3

“Be nice!” I tell Yuval on a regular basis. Currently, one of his favorite things to do is to shout at our cats or jump towards them. He’s also in a phase where he likes being startled, so when I tell him that he’s scaring the cats, he doesn’t understand why they wouldn’t think it’s fun too. As a three-year-old, he has not developed the sense of empathy that would allow him to recognize that others...Read more...

May 2023

05/01/2023 02:05:00 PM

May1

What a blessing and joy it was to celebrate my official installation as TBE’s rabbi last month! It was wonderful to see so much of our community at dinner and services on Friday night and at the concert on Sunday afternoon. I also enjoyed the sweet presentations from our religious education students during Sunday morning’s T’filah Takeover.

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March 2023

03/01/2023 02:03:23 PM

Mar1

When I was in high school, I went through a phase where I wanted to celebrate Judaism publicly and proudly. I was annoyed that Christian holidays like Halloween, Christmas, St. Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day were observed in school, but the only one of my holidays that anyone knew about was Hanukkah. I didn’t need others to celebrate the Jewish holidays with me, but I wanted to express my...Read more...

January 2023

01/01/2023 02:00:08 PM

Jan1

“I have a voice. My voice is powerful. My voice can change the world.”

 

These words by Jewish singer-songwriter Elana Arian ran through the L’Taken Seminar that six of our Hebrew High students attended in early December. L’Taken,...Read more...

November 2022

11/01/2022 01:58:30 PM

Nov1

Cheshvan, the Month of Shabbat

 

A few years ago, I was talking to a group of preschoolers and I mentioned that the next holiday after Sukkot and Sh’mini Atzeret-Simchat Torah is Hanukkah. I explain that Cheshvan, the month between Tishrei...Read more...

September 2022

09/01/2022 01:56:36 PM

Sep1

I’ve lived in my new house for about two months and have already rearranged the furniture in my living room (twice) and in Yuval’s room. I don’t just mean that I set things up and added new furniture or organized—I’ve done that too—but in both of these rooms, I’ve tried one setup, decided it wasn’t right, and moved things around.

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July 2022

07/01/2022 01:55:18 PM

Jul1

Shalom, chaverimot (friends)!

 

I'm so looking forward to joining you at Temple Beth El on July 1! I'm glad to have met many of you during my interviews, visits, and meet and greets, but I'm excited to finally become part of this community...Read more...

Sat, December 21 2024 20 Kislev 5785