Judaism seems to have an aversion to arrival. There is no traditional Jewish festival that celebrates our homecoming. We have Pesach to remember the Exodus from Egypt. During Sukkot, we recall our wanderings. On Shavuot, we relive the moment we stood at Sinai and heard God’s commanding voice. Each of these festivals marks a stage Continue Reading »
Fun comes in many forms. One can have fun by playing a game, riding a bike, or watching a movie. One can have fun alone or with others. Everyone deserves and needs to have fun. But, as a recent New York Times article notes, over the last two years, with us stuck at home and Continue Reading »
This month we celebrate Pride. But what does celebrating pride mean? For the LGBTQ+ community, Pride means being able to be yourself and be safe while being who God made you. This week’s Torah portion contains the following statement: “When a man or a woman commits any wrong toward a fellow human being, thus breaking Continue Reading »
This Shabbat before Purim is called Shabbat Zachor after the special reading from Deuteronomy(1) which commands us to remember what Amalek did to us on our journey, after we left Egypt. Mercilessly, and undeterred by fear of God, Amalek caught us in a moment of weakness and attacked from the rear, cutting down the stragglers Continue Reading »
TBE’s High Holy Day Food Drive of 5782 / 2021 collected 225 bags of food weighing 2141 pounds (over a ton!) for the Food Bank Network of Somerset County. TBE’s food donations will feed 40 to 60 families for about a week and a half. This single donation was the most the Food Bank received Continue Reading »
I recently purchased the Robert Alter translation of the TaNaKh, the Jewish Bible*. This award-winning translator offers a fresh look at the Biblical text, seen so often in less dynamic and precise language. Reading Alter’s translation gave me a new motivation to reread the texts of the Psalms, the 150 tehilim. These are poems from Continue Reading »
Temple Beth-El’s freezers are full with homemade soups and breads, ready for delivery this spring and summer to those needing a bit of tender loving care. TBE’s volunteer cooks and bakers gathered in late March to replenish Ladles of Love’s stock, producing 28 quarts of Gypsy Soup and 18 loaves of Queen Esther’s Jaffa Orange Continue Reading »
