December 16, 2022
This is it! Today is our big Pre-Hanukah celebration!!!
I hope that you will be able to join us for any part of festivities, either to donate blood or shop our gift shop from 3:00-6:00pm, participate in an abbreviated, celebratory Shabbat service at 6:00, enjoy our Pre-Hanukkah Pep Rally with food and Hanukkah themed activities starting around 6:30/6:45, Torah study tomorrow at 10:00am, or any and all of the above!
Hanukkah is our festival of lights, our celebration of religion freedom, and our time of rededication - rededication of the ancient Temple as well as our own rededication to our community and our tradition each year.
I encourage you, in whatever way(s) you celebrate and observe Hanukkah this year to rededicate yourself to some aspect(s) Jewish life that either call to you, that have fallen by the wayside recently, or that you’ve always wanted to try but never quite had the chance.
Take the time time the year to experiment, share, rejoice, and light up the world in this, our season of miracles.
Looking forward to seeing you soon and wishing you a very Happy Hanukkah along with happiness and joy for all of the other end of year celebrations your family may participate in.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
This is it! Today is our big Pre-Hanukah celebration!!!
I hope that you will be able to join us for any part of festivities, either to donate blood or shop our gift shop from 3:00-6:00pm, participate in an abbreviated, celebratory Shabbat service at 6:00, enjoy our Pre-Hanukkah Pep Rally with food and Hanukkah themed activities starting around 6:30/6:45, Torah study tomorrow at 10:00am, or any and all of the above!
Hanukkah is our festival of lights, our celebration of religion freedom, and our time of rededication - rededication of the ancient Temple as well as our own rededication to our community and our tradition each year.
I encourage you, in whatever way(s) you celebrate and observe Hanukkah this year to rededicate yourself to some aspect(s) Jewish life that either call to you, that have fallen by the wayside recently, or that you’ve always wanted to try but never quite had the chance.
Take the time time the year to experiment, share, rejoice, and light up the world in this, our season of miracles.
Looking forward to seeing you soon and wishing you a very Happy Hanukkah along with happiness and joy for all of the other end of year celebrations your family may participate in.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
December 2, 2022
I hope that you enjoyed Thanksgiving and that your winter holiday season is off to a good start. This time of the year is weird, not just for us as a Jewish community (especially with all of the mishegas - Yiddish for “craziness” - going on with certain celebrities and antisemitism) but in general.
The holidays are usually a time for families to gather for their assorted traditions and celebrations. And yet, families can be complicated, for so many reasons. And that can often cause tension and anxiety, especially this time of year.
Our Jewish tradition is quite familiar with how complicated family can get. We need not look any further than this week’s Torah portion.
Jacob arrives in the land of his distant family member Laban and falls in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel. After working seven years to marry her he is duped when Rachel’s older sister Leah is switched in the wedding. Then, after working seven more years, Jacob finally also marries Rachel. Between the two of them (and two of their handmaids…) He fathers 13 children. And then this family leaves Laban’s land to go return to the Promised Land.
See…complicated!
Our families today come in many shapes and sizes. We have nuclear families, blended families, and interfaith families (among so many other variations). We have the families we are born into, the families we join, and the families we choose for ourselves. And just like our ancestors’ families that we find in our scriptures, things can get complicated and difficult.
But what our tradition emphasizes over all else is that even in the midst of the complications, difficulties, and obstacles, we always find ways to navigate them nimbly, safely, and even joyously if we allow ourselves too.
May we all enjoy the times that we get to spend with those nearest and dearest to us. May we do so in good health and safety. And may we experience joy along the way.
I look forward to experiencing some of that joy, that Sabbath Oneg, as our tradition puts it, at services this evening at 6:30 and Torah study tomorrow morning at 10:00.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
I hope that you enjoyed Thanksgiving and that your winter holiday season is off to a good start. This time of the year is weird, not just for us as a Jewish community (especially with all of the mishegas - Yiddish for “craziness” - going on with certain celebrities and antisemitism) but in general.
The holidays are usually a time for families to gather for their assorted traditions and celebrations. And yet, families can be complicated, for so many reasons. And that can often cause tension and anxiety, especially this time of year.
Our Jewish tradition is quite familiar with how complicated family can get. We need not look any further than this week’s Torah portion.
Jacob arrives in the land of his distant family member Laban and falls in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel. After working seven years to marry her he is duped when Rachel’s older sister Leah is switched in the wedding. Then, after working seven more years, Jacob finally also marries Rachel. Between the two of them (and two of their handmaids…) He fathers 13 children. And then this family leaves Laban’s land to go return to the Promised Land.
See…complicated!
Our families today come in many shapes and sizes. We have nuclear families, blended families, and interfaith families (among so many other variations). We have the families we are born into, the families we join, and the families we choose for ourselves. And just like our ancestors’ families that we find in our scriptures, things can get complicated and difficult.
But what our tradition emphasizes over all else is that even in the midst of the complications, difficulties, and obstacles, we always find ways to navigate them nimbly, safely, and even joyously if we allow ourselves too.
May we all enjoy the times that we get to spend with those nearest and dearest to us. May we do so in good health and safety. And may we experience joy along the way.
I look forward to experiencing some of that joy, that Sabbath Oneg, as our tradition puts it, at services this evening at 6:30 and Torah study tomorrow morning at 10:00.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
November 18, 2022
Next week we will gather with loved ones, friends, and other important people in our lives to give thanks and eat turkey. So Happy Turkey Day…err…Happy Thanks Day…which one is it again? Funny enough, the upcoming celebration is also one of my favorite coincidences of American Jewish life.
In Hebrew “thank you” is todah, and since Hebrew is a language of root letters, the imperative form “give thanks” is hodu. The Hebrew word for turkey also just so happens to be…hodu!
It’s as if Jewish tradition was especially meant for the holiday of giving thanks…which isn’t all that far from the truth. Our tradition is filled with various moments and rituals around giving thanks, from a set of the sacrifices in the ancient temple to a number of prayer sin our regular liturgy today, and much more in between, we are a people for whom thanks-giving is part of our core being.
So as you settle down for your meals this next week, think about what it truly means to give thanks and the ways that you are thankful and show your gratitude for the blessings in your life.
And also enjoy the turkey (or turkey substitutes) that will fill your plates and stomachs this holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Turkey-Day, and
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
Next week we will gather with loved ones, friends, and other important people in our lives to give thanks and eat turkey. So Happy Turkey Day…err…Happy Thanks Day…which one is it again? Funny enough, the upcoming celebration is also one of my favorite coincidences of American Jewish life.
In Hebrew “thank you” is todah, and since Hebrew is a language of root letters, the imperative form “give thanks” is hodu. The Hebrew word for turkey also just so happens to be…hodu!
It’s as if Jewish tradition was especially meant for the holiday of giving thanks…which isn’t all that far from the truth. Our tradition is filled with various moments and rituals around giving thanks, from a set of the sacrifices in the ancient temple to a number of prayer sin our regular liturgy today, and much more in between, we are a people for whom thanks-giving is part of our core being.
So as you settle down for your meals this next week, think about what it truly means to give thanks and the ways that you are thankful and show your gratitude for the blessings in your life.
And also enjoy the turkey (or turkey substitutes) that will fill your plates and stomachs this holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Turkey-Day, and
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
November 11, 2022
With this past week’s election over we are beginning to wrap up yet another political campaign season - the time when our divided nation grows even more divided through strategic, often nasty, advertisements and slogans. Commercials are filled with out-of-context sound bytes, hollow promises, and a combination of “truths” and “facts.” These half-truths, manipulated facts, untruths, hyperboles, irrelevant facts, stretched out truths, and, put quite bluntly, lies, leave us to deal with so much when trying to cast an informed, honest, and appropriate vote.
Half-truths and lies play a role in this week’s Torah portion as well. On their journey through the wilderness, Abraham and Sarah make their way to Gerar which was under the rule of King Abimelech. When they entered Gerar, Abraham was afraid that he would be killed because Sarah was his wife, so he told everyone that she was his sister. This resulted in King Abimelech being scolded by God after he tried to take Sarah as his wife. At the end of the day the issue was all sorted out, but fear and lies created a problem when there otherwise wouldn’t have been one.
As we interact with those in our communities, on the smallest and largest scales, let us be aware of the truths, facts, and, yes, lies that we share, and let us be attuned to the ways that others do the same. As we do, we must focus on the goals that we have in mind.
Abraham lied to save his life. Are there times we feel afraid or threatened that lead us to sharing untruths?
In my life this happens every time someone asks me what I do for a living. I have to decide if I tell them the full truth, or if I say something like “I’m a teacher” or “I work for a non-profit.” With the ever growing rise in antisemitism, I find myself pausing when answering this question more and more.
This is by no means fair, but this is an unfortunate reality of how we all must go about living in our world these days.
When you are out and about and interacting with the world, consider how you manipulate the truth. Do your ends justify the means? May we all have the strength and courage to hold tight to our values, even if every now and then we have to bend them to lead to safe ends.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
With this past week’s election over we are beginning to wrap up yet another political campaign season - the time when our divided nation grows even more divided through strategic, often nasty, advertisements and slogans. Commercials are filled with out-of-context sound bytes, hollow promises, and a combination of “truths” and “facts.” These half-truths, manipulated facts, untruths, hyperboles, irrelevant facts, stretched out truths, and, put quite bluntly, lies, leave us to deal with so much when trying to cast an informed, honest, and appropriate vote.
Half-truths and lies play a role in this week’s Torah portion as well. On their journey through the wilderness, Abraham and Sarah make their way to Gerar which was under the rule of King Abimelech. When they entered Gerar, Abraham was afraid that he would be killed because Sarah was his wife, so he told everyone that she was his sister. This resulted in King Abimelech being scolded by God after he tried to take Sarah as his wife. At the end of the day the issue was all sorted out, but fear and lies created a problem when there otherwise wouldn’t have been one.
As we interact with those in our communities, on the smallest and largest scales, let us be aware of the truths, facts, and, yes, lies that we share, and let us be attuned to the ways that others do the same. As we do, we must focus on the goals that we have in mind.
Abraham lied to save his life. Are there times we feel afraid or threatened that lead us to sharing untruths?
In my life this happens every time someone asks me what I do for a living. I have to decide if I tell them the full truth, or if I say something like “I’m a teacher” or “I work for a non-profit.” With the ever growing rise in antisemitism, I find myself pausing when answering this question more and more.
This is by no means fair, but this is an unfortunate reality of how we all must go about living in our world these days.
When you are out and about and interacting with the world, consider how you manipulate the truth. Do your ends justify the means? May we all have the strength and courage to hold tight to our values, even if every now and then we have to bend them to lead to safe ends.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
October 21, 2022
This Shabbat is Shabbat Bereshit, when we begin the yearly cycle of Torah reading over again. Bereshit is the story of creation. Throughout the account of creation, when God sees what God created, God says, “this is good.” And when God has finished creating the world, God looks over all that God created and says, “this is very good.”
Gratitude, or Hakarat haTov - Recognizing the Good, is an important Jewish value. In our lives we need to take time to stop and acknowledge all of the good around us. This includes focusing on those things that we often take for granted, the things that are always there, those daily miracles of creation.
This Shabbat, this week, may we all stop and smell the roses, as it were. Let us recognize and acknowledge all of the good in our lives: in our world, in our communities, in our families, and in ourselves.
Wishing you all a “Good Shabbos!”
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
This Shabbat is Shabbat Bereshit, when we begin the yearly cycle of Torah reading over again. Bereshit is the story of creation. Throughout the account of creation, when God sees what God created, God says, “this is good.” And when God has finished creating the world, God looks over all that God created and says, “this is very good.”
Gratitude, or Hakarat haTov - Recognizing the Good, is an important Jewish value. In our lives we need to take time to stop and acknowledge all of the good around us. This includes focusing on those things that we often take for granted, the things that are always there, those daily miracles of creation.
This Shabbat, this week, may we all stop and smell the roses, as it were. Let us recognize and acknowledge all of the good in our lives: in our world, in our communities, in our families, and in ourselves.
Wishing you all a “Good Shabbos!”
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Josh
October 7, 2022
After a wonderful High Holy Days we have arrived a Shabbat: a time to exhale, a time to rest, a time to find peace after a spiritually (and physically) busy couple of weeks. Over the past few weeks we gathered as a community, joined together in song and prayer, and we have begun the work of REconnecting, REsponding, REstoring, and REnewing that we will focus on throughout the year.
But this Shabbat we take a well deserved break.
That break, however, will not last too long as we have the opportunity to gather again and continue our celebrations with Sukkot this Sunday at 4:30. We will decorate our Sukkah, enjoy our own picnic dinners, participate in a casual Sukkot service outside at the Sukkah, and end the evening with a fun dessert project and by sitting around a campfire making S’mores!
This will truly be, as our tradition calls it, Z’man Simchateinu, the time of our REjoicing!
Wishing you all a Shabbat of rest, REjuvenation, and, of course, of peace!
Shabbat Shalom!
- Rabbi Josh
After a wonderful High Holy Days we have arrived a Shabbat: a time to exhale, a time to rest, a time to find peace after a spiritually (and physically) busy couple of weeks. Over the past few weeks we gathered as a community, joined together in song and prayer, and we have begun the work of REconnecting, REsponding, REstoring, and REnewing that we will focus on throughout the year.
But this Shabbat we take a well deserved break.
That break, however, will not last too long as we have the opportunity to gather again and continue our celebrations with Sukkot this Sunday at 4:30. We will decorate our Sukkah, enjoy our own picnic dinners, participate in a casual Sukkot service outside at the Sukkah, and end the evening with a fun dessert project and by sitting around a campfire making S’mores!
This will truly be, as our tradition calls it, Z’man Simchateinu, the time of our REjoicing!
Wishing you all a Shabbat of rest, REjuvenation, and, of course, of peace!
Shabbat Shalom!
- Rabbi Josh
October 4, 2022
Yom Kippur begins this evening. Over the past week and the month that preceded it we have prepared ourselves for this powerful day. We have reflected on our past year. We have thought about how we can become better as individuals. We have grown together as a community.
Tonight we will gather at 7:30pm for our Kol Nidre evening service. The words and melody of the Kol Nidre prayer remind us of all that we could have done better, all the potential that we know is inside of each of us. It also reminds us that are merely human, that we are flawed, that we make mistakes. And, at the same time, it reaffirms that we get the opportunity to try again.
As we make our way through the Yom Kippur liturgy this evening and throughout the day tomorrow may we embrace the words and themes of this season, may be be kind to ourselves, giving ourselves compassion and grace, and may we commit to doing our best to become better in the year ahead.
I look forward to seeing you this evening at 7:30pm for Kol Nidre, tomorrow morning at 10:30am for our morning service immediately followed by Yizkor at 1:00pm, and finally for our afternoon and concluding services (Mincha and Neilah) at 4pm. We will have a communal Break Fast in the social hall following the Neilah service.
Wishing you all G’mar Chatima Tovah - May you be Sealed for Blessing in the Book of Life.
-Rabbi Josh
Yom Kippur begins this evening. Over the past week and the month that preceded it we have prepared ourselves for this powerful day. We have reflected on our past year. We have thought about how we can become better as individuals. We have grown together as a community.
Tonight we will gather at 7:30pm for our Kol Nidre evening service. The words and melody of the Kol Nidre prayer remind us of all that we could have done better, all the potential that we know is inside of each of us. It also reminds us that are merely human, that we are flawed, that we make mistakes. And, at the same time, it reaffirms that we get the opportunity to try again.
As we make our way through the Yom Kippur liturgy this evening and throughout the day tomorrow may we embrace the words and themes of this season, may be be kind to ourselves, giving ourselves compassion and grace, and may we commit to doing our best to become better in the year ahead.
I look forward to seeing you this evening at 7:30pm for Kol Nidre, tomorrow morning at 10:30am for our morning service immediately followed by Yizkor at 1:00pm, and finally for our afternoon and concluding services (Mincha and Neilah) at 4pm. We will have a communal Break Fast in the social hall following the Neilah service.
Wishing you all G’mar Chatima Tovah - May you be Sealed for Blessing in the Book of Life.
-Rabbi Josh
September 23, 2022
We are nearing the end of 5782 and about to jump into our New Year, 5783 this Sunday evening as Rosh Hashanah begins. Over the past month we have taken moments to reflect on the past year. We have done the work of Cheshbon HaNefesh - of the accounting of our souls, preparing us for the themes of forgiveness and renewal of our High Holy Days.
Along this path we have explored pieces of Psalm 27, the tradition Psalm studied in the Hebrew month of Elul. let us finish out this month by reflecting on the following verse from the Psalm:
“In Your behalf my heart says: ‘Seek My face!’ O God, I seek Your face.” (Psalm 27:8)
- What did you seek in the past year?
- What questions did you hold, ask, or wrestle with in your heart?
- How will you ask new questions and find new answers in the year to come?
As we continue our preparations for the New Year, and for our High Holy Days I am looking forward to gathering with our community over each of the next few days. Tonight at 7:30 for Shabbat services, tomorrow morning at 10:00 for Torah study, and Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday for Rosh Hashanah.
May we all bring in 5783 with joy, with sweetness, with friendship, and with peace.
Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah!
-Rabbi Josh
We are nearing the end of 5782 and about to jump into our New Year, 5783 this Sunday evening as Rosh Hashanah begins. Over the past month we have taken moments to reflect on the past year. We have done the work of Cheshbon HaNefesh - of the accounting of our souls, preparing us for the themes of forgiveness and renewal of our High Holy Days.
Along this path we have explored pieces of Psalm 27, the tradition Psalm studied in the Hebrew month of Elul. let us finish out this month by reflecting on the following verse from the Psalm:
“In Your behalf my heart says: ‘Seek My face!’ O God, I seek Your face.” (Psalm 27:8)
- What did you seek in the past year?
- What questions did you hold, ask, or wrestle with in your heart?
- How will you ask new questions and find new answers in the year to come?
As we continue our preparations for the New Year, and for our High Holy Days I am looking forward to gathering with our community over each of the next few days. Tonight at 7:30 for Shabbat services, tomorrow morning at 10:00 for Torah study, and Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday for Rosh Hashanah.
May we all bring in 5783 with joy, with sweetness, with friendship, and with peace.
Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah!
-Rabbi Josh
September 16, 2022
As we have for the last few weeks, this week we continue our spiritual preparations for the upcoming High Holy Days. As we have been reflecting on our lives this past year we have been focusing on what we have done wrong how we hope to do and be better in the year ahead. This Shabbat, let us focus not exactly on who we want to be, but more so on what we want to experience that will nourish and fill our souls.
Let us return again to Psalm 27, the psalm traditionally associated with the month of Elul, which helps us in our spiritual preparations. Verse 4 of the psalm reads:
“Just one thing I have asked of God;
only this do I seek:
to dwell in God’s House all the days of my life,
to behold divine sweetness and beauty,
and to gaze in delight at God’s Temple.”
And as we reflect on this very let us consider the following:
• Where did you experience beauty this year?
• What felt nourishing to you?
• Why was it so pleasurable?
• How will you find ways to experience those same feelings in the year to come?
This verse of Psalm 27, also known as “Achat Sha’alti,” from the first two Hebre words of the verse, stands out from amongths the Psalm as it is customarily added to the liturgy of daily service during the month of Elul. We will also be including it in our Selichot service tomorrow evening, as we gather for our service of forgiveness in preparation for the High Holy Days.
The common musical setting of the verse can found at the links below. I invite you to watch/listen to one or both of them so as to become familiar with it before hearing it in our Selichot service.
https://fb.watch/fAtj_tzraj/
https://youtu.be/50keQUIWj-4
Looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow evening at 7:00 for our dessert reception and service (please bring dessert to share!), and wishing you all a Shabbat of rest, rejuvenation, and peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
As we have for the last few weeks, this week we continue our spiritual preparations for the upcoming High Holy Days. As we have been reflecting on our lives this past year we have been focusing on what we have done wrong how we hope to do and be better in the year ahead. This Shabbat, let us focus not exactly on who we want to be, but more so on what we want to experience that will nourish and fill our souls.
Let us return again to Psalm 27, the psalm traditionally associated with the month of Elul, which helps us in our spiritual preparations. Verse 4 of the psalm reads:
“Just one thing I have asked of God;
only this do I seek:
to dwell in God’s House all the days of my life,
to behold divine sweetness and beauty,
and to gaze in delight at God’s Temple.”
And as we reflect on this very let us consider the following:
• Where did you experience beauty this year?
• What felt nourishing to you?
• Why was it so pleasurable?
• How will you find ways to experience those same feelings in the year to come?
This verse of Psalm 27, also known as “Achat Sha’alti,” from the first two Hebre words of the verse, stands out from amongths the Psalm as it is customarily added to the liturgy of daily service during the month of Elul. We will also be including it in our Selichot service tomorrow evening, as we gather for our service of forgiveness in preparation for the High Holy Days.
The common musical setting of the verse can found at the links below. I invite you to watch/listen to one or both of them so as to become familiar with it before hearing it in our Selichot service.
https://fb.watch/fAtj_tzraj/
https://youtu.be/50keQUIWj-4
Looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow evening at 7:00 for our dessert reception and service (please bring dessert to share!), and wishing you all a Shabbat of rest, rejuvenation, and peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
September 9, 2022
As we continue the process of Cheshbon HaNefesh, the accounting of our souls in preparation for the High Holy Days, let us turn to another tradition of the Hebrew month of Elul, the reading of Psalm 27. There is a tradition to either read the entire psalm, or a selection from the psalm each day.
Today, let us explore the opening and closing verses of Psalm 27:
God is my light and my refuge secure— whom shall I fear?
God is the stronghold of my life--
of whom should I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
Look to God; be strong and of good courage!
O look to God! (Psalm 27:14)
Over this Shabbat or over the next week, consider these verses and how they might apply to your life this past year and to what you hope for your life in this coming year:
• What did you struggle with this year?
• Where did you experience help and support?
• How will you seek help and support in the year to come?
• What gave you strength in the past year?
• What gave you courage?
• How will you replenish your strength and courage in the year to come?
I am looking forward to gathering as a community this evening at 6:30 for Shabbat services, Sunday morning for Religious School, and next Saturday evening, Sept. 17, at 7:00 for Selichot. Each of these gatherings will also be opportunities to for us to communally prepare for our High Holy Days.
Wishing you all a Shabbat of joy, of relaxation, and of peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
As we continue the process of Cheshbon HaNefesh, the accounting of our souls in preparation for the High Holy Days, let us turn to another tradition of the Hebrew month of Elul, the reading of Psalm 27. There is a tradition to either read the entire psalm, or a selection from the psalm each day.
Today, let us explore the opening and closing verses of Psalm 27:
God is my light and my refuge secure— whom shall I fear?
God is the stronghold of my life--
of whom should I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
Look to God; be strong and of good courage!
O look to God! (Psalm 27:14)
Over this Shabbat or over the next week, consider these verses and how they might apply to your life this past year and to what you hope for your life in this coming year:
• What did you struggle with this year?
• Where did you experience help and support?
• How will you seek help and support in the year to come?
• What gave you strength in the past year?
• What gave you courage?
• How will you replenish your strength and courage in the year to come?
I am looking forward to gathering as a community this evening at 6:30 for Shabbat services, Sunday morning for Religious School, and next Saturday evening, Sept. 17, at 7:00 for Selichot. Each of these gatherings will also be opportunities to for us to communally prepare for our High Holy Days.
Wishing you all a Shabbat of joy, of relaxation, and of peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
September 2, 2022
We are now just about a week into the Hebrew month of Elul; the time when we prepare ourselves for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Throughout the month, tradition teaches us to look inward and to perform Cheshbon HaNefesh - An Accounting of our Souls. We examine our lives from the past year and focus how we can improve ourselves and our relationships with others in the year to come. It is a time of self-reflection, forgiveness, and exploration.
One opportunity that Jewish tradition offers us as a helpful tool for the work of Elul, is by examining various Middot: values or character traits. As we reach the first Shabbat of Elul 2022/5782 let us take time to ponder the middah of Equanimity / Menuchat HaNefesh.
In his book, Everyday Holiness, Alan Morinis teaches:
In the Jewish view, the goal of spiritual life is not to reach an enlightened state in which all the questions and conundrums of life are unknotted with finality, but rather to become more skilled at the process of living. This view applies fully to the soul-trait of equanimity, which does not spell the end of our struggles, but rather is an inner quality we can cultivate to equip ourselves to handle the inevitable ups and downs of life…to be a calm soul who is like a surfer who rides the waves on an even inner keel, regardless of what is happening within and around…staying upright, balanced, and moving in the direction the rider chooses. Equanimity is a quality of being centered in yourself, though at the same time being exquisitely sensitive to the forces that are at work all around…
[This understanding of equanimity] does not suggest that feelings are idling in neutral…But if awareness is calmly present, even amid the storms of life, your soul maintains its connection to others and to the divine source and your free will is preserved.
As you go about your lives this Shabbat, this coming week, and through the month and year ahead, think to yourself:
• What ups and downs did you experience over the past year?
• How well were you able to be self-aware and effective during those times?
• Did the waves knock you down?
• If so, what, if anything, helped you get up again?
• What contributes or detracts from your ability to feel balanced amid life’s inevitable change and turmoil?
May we each take the time to find a center, the balance in our lives, embracing both the soul searching of this season in our tradition, as well as the menuchah, rest, that Shabbat provides for us.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
We are now just about a week into the Hebrew month of Elul; the time when we prepare ourselves for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Throughout the month, tradition teaches us to look inward and to perform Cheshbon HaNefesh - An Accounting of our Souls. We examine our lives from the past year and focus how we can improve ourselves and our relationships with others in the year to come. It is a time of self-reflection, forgiveness, and exploration.
One opportunity that Jewish tradition offers us as a helpful tool for the work of Elul, is by examining various Middot: values or character traits. As we reach the first Shabbat of Elul 2022/5782 let us take time to ponder the middah of Equanimity / Menuchat HaNefesh.
In his book, Everyday Holiness, Alan Morinis teaches:
In the Jewish view, the goal of spiritual life is not to reach an enlightened state in which all the questions and conundrums of life are unknotted with finality, but rather to become more skilled at the process of living. This view applies fully to the soul-trait of equanimity, which does not spell the end of our struggles, but rather is an inner quality we can cultivate to equip ourselves to handle the inevitable ups and downs of life…to be a calm soul who is like a surfer who rides the waves on an even inner keel, regardless of what is happening within and around…staying upright, balanced, and moving in the direction the rider chooses. Equanimity is a quality of being centered in yourself, though at the same time being exquisitely sensitive to the forces that are at work all around…
[This understanding of equanimity] does not suggest that feelings are idling in neutral…But if awareness is calmly present, even amid the storms of life, your soul maintains its connection to others and to the divine source and your free will is preserved.
As you go about your lives this Shabbat, this coming week, and through the month and year ahead, think to yourself:
• What ups and downs did you experience over the past year?
• How well were you able to be self-aware and effective during those times?
• Did the waves knock you down?
• If so, what, if anything, helped you get up again?
• What contributes or detracts from your ability to feel balanced amid life’s inevitable change and turmoil?
May we each take the time to find a center, the balance in our lives, embracing both the soul searching of this season in our tradition, as well as the menuchah, rest, that Shabbat provides for us.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
August 26, 2022
Another week has passed and again we have returned to the day assigned to us by our tradition to take a break. Personally, this week has had its high points as well as its challenges. I am sure that many, if not most, of you have had similar experiences. There are blessings and “curses” in each of our daily lives. From personal, family, professional, societal, and, as I am learning more and more, weather related issues, it is a good bet that we could all use the peace and rest of Shabbat.
I am excited to gather tonight and tomorrow morning with our community to process this idea of blessings and curses further through prayer and study of our weekly Torah portion - which just so happens to begin with the idea of blessings and curses. We are taught that Moses presented the Israelites with 2 choices- blessings if they follow God’s commandments and curses if they stray from the path.
Shabbat is not the only thing this weekend that offers us a traditional way to process and take a break from our challenges over the past week, while trying to learn from, forgive, and do better in the future.
This weekend also marks the beginning of the month of Elul - our month of preparing for the High Holy days. We are hard at work practically preparing for these special days, but Elul offers us all the time to spiritually prepare. Throughout this month take some time to focus on yourself; how you can do better and grow in the year ahead.
May we all take the time to give ourselves and others a break this Shabbat and forward.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
Another week has passed and again we have returned to the day assigned to us by our tradition to take a break. Personally, this week has had its high points as well as its challenges. I am sure that many, if not most, of you have had similar experiences. There are blessings and “curses” in each of our daily lives. From personal, family, professional, societal, and, as I am learning more and more, weather related issues, it is a good bet that we could all use the peace and rest of Shabbat.
I am excited to gather tonight and tomorrow morning with our community to process this idea of blessings and curses further through prayer and study of our weekly Torah portion - which just so happens to begin with the idea of blessings and curses. We are taught that Moses presented the Israelites with 2 choices- blessings if they follow God’s commandments and curses if they stray from the path.
Shabbat is not the only thing this weekend that offers us a traditional way to process and take a break from our challenges over the past week, while trying to learn from, forgive, and do better in the future.
This weekend also marks the beginning of the month of Elul - our month of preparing for the High Holy days. We are hard at work practically preparing for these special days, but Elul offers us all the time to spiritually prepare. Throughout this month take some time to focus on yourself; how you can do better and grow in the year ahead.
May we all take the time to give ourselves and others a break this Shabbat and forward.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
August 19, 2022
It was truly a pleasure getting to meet many of you over the course of last weekend’s events. My heart and soul are filled with joy and excitement at the promise of our congregation’s future. That promise will grow even stronger this Sunday as we begin our school year, educating the next generation of our people.
Jewish learning is an incredible, multi-faceted experience that we participate in our entire lives. It is more than just memorizing Hebrew letters and words and more than just being able to rattle off trivia about what each holiday is about or what happened when on the timeline of Jewish history. Jewish learning is about forming an identity, strengthening bonds with the community, and truly internalizing the eternal life lessons of our tradition.
We read about one aspect of Jewish learning in our Torah portion for this Shabbat. After reminding the Israelites (yet again) the benefits of observing and fulfilling God’s commandments, Moses tells the people:
“Remember the long way that your God יהוה has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, in order to test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep the divine commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)
We have all experienced hardships in our lives, obstacles that we have had to overcome individually, as families, as a congregation, and collectively in our local communities and greater society. Facing and surpassing these challenges teaches us many lessons about ourselves and our community. We learn our strengths and our growth areas. We learn what we’re truly capable of.
Nowadays this process of learning and overcoming challenges is often referred to as resilience or grit. It is a key value that is has been increasingly talked about in spaces working with youth. And it just so happens that among all of the many lessons, morals, and values we hope to instill in our children, Jewish history and tradition offers no shortage of lessons on grit and resilience.
I am looking forward to seeing our students, teachers, and families on Sunday as we learn the Jewish value of grit and resilience both in our school program and in our security program.
Wishing you all a weekend of rest, renewal, and strength.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
It was truly a pleasure getting to meet many of you over the course of last weekend’s events. My heart and soul are filled with joy and excitement at the promise of our congregation’s future. That promise will grow even stronger this Sunday as we begin our school year, educating the next generation of our people.
Jewish learning is an incredible, multi-faceted experience that we participate in our entire lives. It is more than just memorizing Hebrew letters and words and more than just being able to rattle off trivia about what each holiday is about or what happened when on the timeline of Jewish history. Jewish learning is about forming an identity, strengthening bonds with the community, and truly internalizing the eternal life lessons of our tradition.
We read about one aspect of Jewish learning in our Torah portion for this Shabbat. After reminding the Israelites (yet again) the benefits of observing and fulfilling God’s commandments, Moses tells the people:
“Remember the long way that your God יהוה has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, in order to test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep the divine commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)
We have all experienced hardships in our lives, obstacles that we have had to overcome individually, as families, as a congregation, and collectively in our local communities and greater society. Facing and surpassing these challenges teaches us many lessons about ourselves and our community. We learn our strengths and our growth areas. We learn what we’re truly capable of.
Nowadays this process of learning and overcoming challenges is often referred to as resilience or grit. It is a key value that is has been increasingly talked about in spaces working with youth. And it just so happens that among all of the many lessons, morals, and values we hope to instill in our children, Jewish history and tradition offers no shortage of lessons on grit and resilience.
I am looking forward to seeing our students, teachers, and families on Sunday as we learn the Jewish value of grit and resilience both in our school program and in our security program.
Wishing you all a weekend of rest, renewal, and strength.
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
,August 12, 2022
Last week marked the official beginning of our journey together as congregation and rabbi. From everything that I have heard and from everyone that I have met, I know that NJC is a special, warm, and welcoming congregation that is excited about coming to together as a Jewish community.
Last week also marked the beginning of our reading from the Book of Deuteronomy for this year. As the last book of the Torah, Deuteronomy is framed as Moses’ farewell speeches to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Much of this book of the Torah is focused on re-telling the stories of the journey through the wilderness with the goals of using those stories as a guide for building their lives towards the future.
We all come to our community with varied backgrounds and experiences. Yet we are also all connected by the stories of our shared past.
Last Saturday we gathered for wonderful and meaningful Tisha B’Av program. Getting to meet and learn from all those who participated was a treat for me.
I am looking forward to getting to know all of you, and your stories, over the coming weeks and months as we form connections that I know will last for years to come. I look forward to being with you as we celebrate, as we grieve, as we lift each other up, as we learn, and as we grow.
Together, rooted in tradition, we will explore the variety of modern, innovative ways of living authentic Jewish lives. Together we will repair and strengthen our world. Together we will build towards our shared future.
This Shabbat we read from Parashat Vaetchanan, which includes, among other famous passages (like Sh’ma!) the second telling of the 10 Commandments. The 4th commandment teaches us to “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” We all observe Shabbat in different ways, either by attending services, having Shabbat meals with family or friends, or just taking the day to do something different than we did all week.
Whether you are planning on attend our first Shabbat service together at 7:30 this evening, or if you are taking the evening to have Shabbat dinner or to participate in other rituals that will help you relax and recharge; however you plan on observing, I wish you all:
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
Last week marked the official beginning of our journey together as congregation and rabbi. From everything that I have heard and from everyone that I have met, I know that NJC is a special, warm, and welcoming congregation that is excited about coming to together as a Jewish community.
Last week also marked the beginning of our reading from the Book of Deuteronomy for this year. As the last book of the Torah, Deuteronomy is framed as Moses’ farewell speeches to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Much of this book of the Torah is focused on re-telling the stories of the journey through the wilderness with the goals of using those stories as a guide for building their lives towards the future.
We all come to our community with varied backgrounds and experiences. Yet we are also all connected by the stories of our shared past.
Last Saturday we gathered for wonderful and meaningful Tisha B’Av program. Getting to meet and learn from all those who participated was a treat for me.
I am looking forward to getting to know all of you, and your stories, over the coming weeks and months as we form connections that I know will last for years to come. I look forward to being with you as we celebrate, as we grieve, as we lift each other up, as we learn, and as we grow.
Together, rooted in tradition, we will explore the variety of modern, innovative ways of living authentic Jewish lives. Together we will repair and strengthen our world. Together we will build towards our shared future.
This Shabbat we read from Parashat Vaetchanan, which includes, among other famous passages (like Sh’ma!) the second telling of the 10 Commandments. The 4th commandment teaches us to “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” We all observe Shabbat in different ways, either by attending services, having Shabbat meals with family or friends, or just taking the day to do something different than we did all week.
Whether you are planning on attend our first Shabbat service together at 7:30 this evening, or if you are taking the evening to have Shabbat dinner or to participate in other rituals that will help you relax and recharge; however you plan on observing, I wish you all:
Shabbat Shalom,
-Rabbi Josh
