January 20, 2023 “What’s the last Jewish choice you made?” This was the first question posed by Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath, the Senior Director of Knowledge, Ideas and Learning at The Jewish Education Project, author of #antisemitism: Coming of Age During the Resurgence of Hate, and the facilitator of the lunch-and-learn I attended the other day on empowering learners (primarily …
January 13, 2023 This Shabbat, the weekend on which we commemorate the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, we also enter into the book of Exodus. Of course, the narrative of our people’s enslavement and redemption, and the leadership of Moses, have layers of resonance with the life and work of Dr. King. …
January 6, 2023 For many of us, January marks an opportunity for making headway on our New Year’s resolutions – tackling new projects, or revisiting previous ones that have been left by the wayside, or getting more involved in communities or activities we care about. Just as the new year begins, the book of Genesis …
December 30, 2022 As we make our way toward the close of the Gregorian calendar year of 2022, we find ourselves only 4 months into the Hebrew calendar, having just entered the month of Tevet, at the end of Hanukkah. And though we’re a week into the month, I am compelled to share a tradition …
December 23, 2022 On Wednesday night, on the fourth night of Hanukkah, the balance of light and not-yet-light shifted, as we reached the halfway point of the holiday. So, too, the balance of day and night shifted with the winter solstice on Wednesday night. What an amazing alignment, as the light grows, inviting us to …
There’s this refrigerator out on the street between the coffee shop and the ice cream shop. The idea is for people to put what they can into the refrigerator and for people to take what they need from the refrigerator. Honor system. Nobody checks to see if you actually need some …
This Shabbat we complete the third book of Torah, the book of Leviticus, with parashat Bechukotai. After being told the rewards that they will receive if they follow God’s laws and faithfully observe God’s commandments, God tells the Israelites: But if you do not obey Me and do not observe all these commandments, if you …
Rabbi Audrey Marcus Berkman The sky was bright blue as it often is somehow when somewhere someway death interrupts: The shock of someplace something awful but not here but yes, here: I feel it pulsing just under my skin if I close my eyes because anyway the sky is too bright the sun is too …
Rabbi Daniel Schaefer Shabbat Shalom. A special welcome to our guests from Milwaukee. I apologize in advance for my topic this evening. As I approach the end of my tenure at Ohabei Shalom, I have been reflecting on my four years with this wonderful community. It has been a great privilege to serve this Temple …
