Blog

Let Us Raise Up the Light

Posted on June 9, 2023

I am honored and privileged to be your new temple President. I’d like to thank Rabbi Gluck and Amy Rubin for all they have done, and will do, to help me be the best leader I can be. It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of past TBE presidents like Robin Osman, Jay Continue Reading »

We Are More Than A Number

Posted on May 19, 2023

This week’s parashah, B’midbar, has extraordinary resonance for this moment in our lives. B’midbar, which means “in the wilderness,” describes the beginning of our people’s difficult journey of 40 years through the desert to the Promised Land. Along the way, they encounter many challenges. They experience fear, anxiety, frustration, uncertainty, and deprivation. Yet they endure. Continue Reading »

Shabbat Behar B’chukotai: Hold Fast to Dreams

Posted on May 11, 2023

On January 8, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty. He didn’t succeed in eradicating it. He didn’t win the war. But his clarion call did lead to a noble effort. Congress responded by passing the Economic Opportunity Act, which spawned 40 programs to alleviate the plight of the poor by expanding government funding for Continue Reading »

We Are Partners With God

Posted on May 5, 2023

Our Torah portion for this week, Emor, contains the origin of challah, the beloved bread that is the foundational element of virtually every festive meal on Shabbat and holy days. Each Shabbat the Priests of ancient Israel were instructed to bake 12 loaves of bread made from exact measurements of fine flour. These challot were Continue Reading »

Yom HaShoah V’ha-g’vurah: The Jewish Spirit of Resistance

Posted on April 21, 2023

American Jews refer to it as Yom HaShoah, but the official name given to Holocaust Memorial Day by the State of Israel is Yom HaShoah V’ha-g’vurah, Holocaust and Heroism Day. Set on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the intention was to emphasize Jewish resistance to the Nazis. We were not merely hapless victims Continue Reading »

Nadav and Avihu are Dying Every Day

Posted on April 14, 2023

This week’s Torah portion, Sh’mini, relates the deaths of the two sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu. The boys entered the newly dedicated sanctuary unauthorized, offered “strange fire” upon the altar, and were consumed by the flames. Much is unclear, leaving some to speculate that the boys may have been drinking. What is clear is Continue Reading »

Passover Message: Mah Nishtanah?

Posted on April 4, 2023

This Passover is different than all others because Israel is in the midst of a political crisis that has exposed deep divisions among its citizens and among Jews throughout the world. As Reform Jews we stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who are fighting to defend Israel’s liberal democratic character against the current Continue Reading »

Refugee Shabbat: Exodus Stories

Posted on April 4, 2023

Next week, Jews around the world will gather together to celebrate the Festival of Passover. We will eat matzah and charoset, drink four cups of wine, and tell the story of our ancestors, who fled slavery and oppression in search of freedom and a new home. But it’s not just the Israelites’ story. We are reminded that, Continue Reading »

Israel in Crisis

Posted on March 24, 2023

Last Saturday night, 500,000 Israelis took to the streets all across the country. It was the 11th consecutive week of mass protests against the Netanyahu government’s efforts to undermine Israel’s democracy. 500,000 represents 5% of the entire population of Israel; the equivalent in the United States would be 16.5 million Americans. Could you imagine such Continue Reading »

The Heart of Jewish Life

Posted on March 17, 2023

In this week’s parashah, Moses brings the people of Israel together to build the Tabernacle, the sacred heart of the community of Israel, a place for the Divine Presence to dwell among them. Having summoned the entire community, Moses instructs the people as follows: “These are the things that God has commanded us to do: Continue Reading »