Rabbi Audrey Marcus Berkman Dear Friends, During this time in the Jewish calendar, we are in a period of acknowledging the profound historical losses of our people, including most centrally the ancient temples in Jerusalem. This year, the sadness we recall at this season– of losing our access to the place where we come together …
Board of Trustees Congregants- The TOS Board of Trustees wants to thank each of you who attended this year’s Annual Meeting. This was an unprecedented meeting for unprecedented times in our community’s 177-year history. We had over 100 attendees and spent over 3.5 hours discussing important issues including social justice, the COVID-19 pandemic and the …
Rabbi Daniel Schaefer In the first half of this week’s double Torah portion, Chukkat-Balak, the Israelites need to take the long way around the mighty kingdom of Edom. Their suffering extended by the long journey, the Torah explains that they grew, “short of spirit.” (Numbers 21:4). Frustrated by their circumstances and unable to appreciate the …
Rabbi Audrey Marcus Berkman This Monday evening, June 29th, TOS members, clergy and staff will come together over Zoom for our Annual Meeting. We will have the opportunity to thank those who served on the Board of Trustees this year, and to welcome new Board members who will serve in the coming year. Most importantly, …
Rabbi Audrey Marcus Berkman Today is the anniversary of the proclamation of freedom for black slaves in Texas in 1865, celebrated as “Juneteenth.” At tonight’s service, we will have the opportunity for reflection related to this day. Juneteenth was not historically widely observed throughout the US, but this year, this, too, has changed as our …
Larry Green Pain hurts, but pain serves a purpose. Were it not for the sensation of pain, we would not pull our hand off a hot stove and thereby avoid the consequences of a severe burn. Were it not for the sensation of pain, we would not know that something is wrong with our bodies …
Rabbi Daniel Schaefer On Yom Kippur afternoon, we list the names of our Jewish martyrs who died for the sanctification of God’s name, al kiddush hashem. Often known as the Martyrology, the service is named after the medieval poem Eileh Ezkira, which describes the ten rabbis who were martyred by the Roman empire in the …
Rabbi Audrey Marcus Berkman May 31, 2020/8 Sivan 5780 Shavua tov. As the new week begins, Jews around the world are coming out of the holy time of Shabbat and Shavuot (observed for two days in much of the Jewish world). We return to a world deeply in need of healing, both from the pandemic …
Rabbi Audrey Marcus Berkman In this week’s Torah portion, Naso, we find the most ancient words of blessing known to us. The Priestly Blessing echoes through millenia (from at least the 7th century BCE). It is incredible to imagine that these words have been said, chanted, or sung for so many generations, in so many …
