We began our preparations for Shabbat. Like on many missions, it starts with waking up very early and putting your luggage outside your room to be taken directly to Jerusalem, where you meet up with it in time to change your clothes and begin the journey to a Kabbalat Shabbat service in the old city. The similarity ended there. During our third program in Tel Aviv on that Friday morning, while hearing from people who live in the south of Israel, who shared... Read More

The road to Jerusalem on a Friday afternoon is always packed with people making their way into the city for Shabbat. This past Friday, however, the traffic included multiple army convoys, headed toward the South. We had stopped to take a bathroom break, and the rest area was overflowing with soldiers, armored vehicles, and tanks loaded onto carriers. I often take photos of Israeli soldiers. However, this time it was different. This time I knew they were headed... Read More

As we mourn the grievous loss of Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Fraenkel, we pray that the State of Israel, the dawn of our people's redemption, experience security and peace. May the light of our tradition's ideals guide Israel's people and leaders. Let the words of the Torah be made manifest, “Adonai oz le amo yiten Adonai yevarekh et amo ba shalom.” May those who defend our people's historic homeland find strength, courage, and humanity in their... Read More

Last week the sanctuary hosted two graduations in less than 24 hours, and in the past month there have been at least four other graduations that took place. Teachers are coming to school in t-shirts and jeans for their meetings, boxes are in the hallway, and classrooms are dark. There is no escaping that this is a time for leave takings, endings, and looking ahead to new beginnings. It is the most popular time of the year for moving and changing jobs, and there... Read More

On the first day of Shavuot, Akdamut is chanted as part of the Torah service as an introduction to the Torah reading. The first words of the poem describe its purpose – akdamut milin, which means introductory words – to introduce the Ten Commandments.  Akdamut was written by Rabbi Meir ben Isaac in the 11th century in Germany. It is a 90 line poem which praises God as creator of the world, and it concludes that we can enjoy God’s splendor by fulfilling the... Read More

In Tel Aviv back in May 1948, wanting a Declaration of Independence to present to his people and to the world, David Ben Gurion had two immediate problems. Getting the formal document written, it wasn't actually completed on time, and deciding whether or not to mention God.  Three years after World War II, was the soon to be announced state of uncertain fate a demonstration of God's involvement in human history or only the political accomplishment of the Zionist... Read More

Early in the Seder ritual, we break a piece of matzah, wrap it in a cloth, and hide the larger portion of it for after our meal. In some of our homes, children steal the wrapped matzah from the Seder leader and wait for a good “price” to return it. In other homes, the leader hides the matzah and the children search the house seeking it and then return it only after receiving their prize. Everyone knows the Seder can’t conclude until we eat this hidden matzah... Read More

This past Shabbat was Shabbat Parah, the first of four special Shabbatot leading up to Pesah, the festival of witnessing. The purpose of the redemption from Egyptian slavery, the purpose of God’s intervention through the plagues and the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in the Exodus narrative was, “So that you may tell the story in the hearing of your children and your children’s children.” (Exodus 10:2) We were redeemed from Egypt so that we might tell the story... Read More

Why didn’t Mordecai bow down to Haman? After all, that is how the whole megilah gets started, right? Well not quite! But it is Mordecai’s act of disobedience and disrespect that motivates Haman’s desire to destroy the Jews of Shushan. When the other men in King Ahashueros’ court asked Mordecai why he refused to bow before Haman, all Mordecai told them was that he was a Jew. Why didn’t Mordecai bow down to Haman? Perhaps he felt that, as a Jew, it was not appropriate... Read More

From the first parashah in the book of Shemot, of Exodus, Moses appears or is mentioned in every single parashah until the very last verses of the Torah.  He is written in to every account, every interaction, and every command.  Except for this week in Parshat Tetzaveh.  This is the only week from the moment Moses is born until the moment he records the story of his own death that Moses neither appears nor is mentioned. The Sages suggest two reasons for this... Read More