Holidays
Labor Day- check. Selichot- tomorrow night. Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur- imminent. Are you ready for yet another holiday? And I don’t mean Sukkot or even Hoshanah Rabbah! Get this! I just learned that this past week was- drumroll please- the International Week of Enthusiasm. You heard me right. The…
I wanted to call to your attention a special feature of our prayers during Chanukkah – the addition of “Al Ha-Nissim” to the Amidah. Al Ha-Nissim- Nissim is the plural of “Nes,” which you know from dreidel fame- nes gadol haya sham- a great miracle happened there. It might be…
Kol Nidre, Temple Chai, 2022 Tonight we begin our Yom Kippur journey. This time is a gift we give ourselves to renew and restore relationships that are in need of repair, and to forgive ourselves for our many imperfections. We began 40 days ago, on Rosh Chodesh Elul. By now,…
Listen to the words of Frank Sinatra’s memorable tune, “My Way.” And now the end is hereAnd so I face that final curtainMy friend I’ll make it clearI’ll state my case, of which I’m certainI’ve lived a life that’s fullI traveled each and every highwayAnd more, much more than this…
I remember seeing an Army wall calendar that had a sign next to it, “Dates on the calendar are closer than they may appear.” Isn’t that the truth? It feels like someone pushed “fast forward” on my life, the time goes by SO quickly. And so- we find ourselves preparing…
Shabbat Zachor- the Shabbat of Remembering. That’s the special name given to this Shabbas, the Shabbat before Purim. So what, exactly, are we supposed to be remembering? Each year we read an additional Torah portion from the book of Deuteronomy describing how the people of Amalek attacked our Israelite ancestors…
This Wednesday night we will come together for the light and joyous holiday of Purim. Purim comes on the 14th of Adar, the final full moon of winter, when, in general, after the darkness of winter, we are ready for fun. And exponentially so at this moment. There has been a super-abundance of darkness on…
It’s a quiet night for the Jewish community tonight. 65% of the population in the United States identify as Christian and our neighbors are likely observing traditions that are important and meaningful to them on, perhaps, their holiest night of the year. “All is calm, all is bright.” For some…
When Jessie was pregnant with Helena, we had a baby shower for her. Cards were passed out, and among the questions was, “I hope that you always remember, fill in the blank.” What is it that you hope that a child would always remember? That they are special? That they…
What is the hardest mitzvah for you? Is it not eating shrimp or bacon? Is it remembering to light shabbat candles each week? Is it saying Modeh Ani when you wake up in the morning? My suspicion is that, for many of us, the most challenging mitzvah is not fulfilling…