July 26, 2024 The Jewish calendar has an emotional arc to it. Rooted in the cycles of the moon (it is a lunar calendar), the cycles of seasons (many of our festivals have agricultural roots) but also rooted in history, our sacred calendar invites us to remember where we have been and what we …
June 28, 2024 By Anna Goodkind, Director of Early Education At The Trust Center for Early Education (TCEE), Temple Ohabei Shalom’s early childhood center for children ages 8 months through 5 years old, we believe in an inclusive, anti-bias education, which means allowing children to feel comfortable voicing their questions, and guiding them thoughtfully …
June 21, 2024 Sometimes the cycle of Torah readings and the cycles of nature align so beautifully, and we are reminded of the echoes of each in the other. This Shabbat, we read Parashat Behaalotcha, the beginning of which focuses on the lighting of the menorah, the 7-branched candelabrum, which is to stand in the mishkan– …
June 14, 2024 For the past 54 years, starting with the year following the Stonewall Riots, June has been “Pride Month,” “…[A]n annual celebration of the many contributions made by the LGBTQ+ community to history, society and cultures worldwide.” (https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/pride-month) Keshet is a Boston-born organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality in Jewish life. A few years ago, Keshet’s founder …
June 7, 2024 This week’s Shabbat Message is based on my remarks from the TOS Annual Meeting on June 5, 2024 In just five days, we will, according to the Jewish calendar, complete our journey from liberation (Passover) to the receiving of Torah (Shavuot). During this time, we count the Omer, and, it is no …
May 31, 2024 Today is Day 38 of the Omer (the period between Passover and Shavuot; between redemption and revelation). We count 49 days as we prepare to celebrate the revelation of Torah, by engaging in Torah – in Jewish wisdom – in the broadest sense. I believe that it is our obligation to cultivate open-mindedness and …
May 24, 2024 In one way or another, everyone in this room has been a special part of our Trust Center for Early Education (TCEE) journey and knows that TCEE is more than just a school. It’s a community, a family, and a place where our children have taken their first steps toward a bright …
May 17, 2024 In this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Emor, in the middle of the book of Leviticus, along with the laws of Passover observance and counting the Omer, and rules around priestly behavior, the Israelites are given the law of pe’ah, which lays the foundation for the sacred obligation of giving tzedakah. When the …
May 10, 2024 You have probably heard the saying, “Two Jews…three opinions.” Jewish tradition is rooted in debate, dialogue, questioning, wrestling – ideally, all in the service of reaching greater truth, of learning from one another. “Who is wise?” an ancient mishna (rabbinic teaching) asks, and answers: “One who learns from every person.”(Pirke Avot 4:1). One …
