ELUL THOUGHTS | 19 - 25 ELUL
09/27/2024 08:42:17 AM
September 22, 2024 | 19 Elul 5784
Rabbi Erin Boxt
As the High Holy Day Period is coming upon us fast, we tend to turn our focus (internally and externally) to seeking and giving forgiveness. It is in our attempts to heal these rifts among people that we spend so much time dwelling on in the month of Elul.
Perhaps you are familiar with the musical, Hamilton. When Alexander Hamilton admits to an affair, his wife, Eliza,...Read more...
TEMPLE TALK | SEPTEMBER 20
09/26/2024 10:10:23 AM
As I stared at the blank sheet of paper I had so many thoughts going through my mind. Do I want to teach about Hezbollah, do I want to talk about Israel and the pager bombs? What do I even think of this action? Should I talk about the Jewish ethical tradition of war? Should I defend or accuse? Should I discuss nation-states and people-hood? Should I discuss the Torah portions emphasis on Blessings and Curses?
All these...Read more...
ELUL THOUGHTS | 12 - 18 ELUL
09/20/2024 08:42:15 AM
September 15, 2024 | 12 Elul 5784
Rabbi Benjamin Sharff
In today’s world, where certainty and binaries reign, it is so hard to find any space for commonality or even perceiving humanity in someone else who holds a different view. If I am right, then you are wrong. And more than that, if I am right, then your worldview is fundamentally flawed and there is no hope for you.
And this is the challenge of binaries. As we learn...Read more...
ELUL THOUGHTS | 5 - 11 ELUL
09/13/2024 09:11:02 AM
September 8, 2024 | 5 Elul 5784
Rabbi Daniel Kirzane
Repentance and forgiveness form a two-way street, and during Elul, we’re encouraged to walk in both directions.
Repentance entails knowing we’ve done wrong, changing ourselves to avoid doing wrong again, trying to “make up” for what we’ve done, and reaching out to those we’ve harmed to apologize or make peace. Forgiveness entails identifying the ways in...Read more...
TEMPLE TALK | SEPTEMBER 6
09/12/2024 10:41:51 AM
What are some of the most well known and most often quoted phrases of Torah?
Whenever I ask this question, I hear what has become an infamous catchphrase, particularly within liberal Jewish circles – Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof. Justice, justice you shall pursue.
Often, we debate what this means. Why do we repeat the word tzedek, or justice, twice? Is it simply for added emphasis, or is there a deeper...Read more...