Family They call us the nuclear family But we are not protons, electrons or neutrons. We are just people Living in relationship with one another Sometimes connected by DNA, Others linked by promises and vows Of different types from marriage to adoption. We are family. And when just one of...
This Shabbat, we read the portion of Chayei Sarah, the fifth Sidrah of Bereshit/Genesis, beginning with chapter 23. We are deeply immersed in the history of the patriarchal period. Despite the title of the portion, “Sarah’s Lifetime…,” the Sidrah opens with the death of the First Matriarch, Sarah, at age...
I last wrote about our KI programming and the continuity of our Shabbat Services, Adult Education, Rabbi Talk, Torah Study and support groups that took off when the pandemic began in March of 2020. Personally, I am very proud of the quality of our services and programming and I know...
Until Then Until then Until the day when we really have to say goodbye forever, Until then Let us live tomorrow as a perfect promise of what we still hope to achieve today. Until then Fill us with the love we need like oxygen to breathe life in fully. Until...
Rabbi Sussman’s family reports that his surgery on Tuesday was successful and he has started the steps towards recovery. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and concern that was expressed during this past week. In this week’s Torah portion, Abraham, like our beloved rabbi, is recovering from surgery. Abraham...
Prayer from Rabbi Sussman May We Be Healed May we be healed by those who attend to us. May their experience, knowledge and kindness help restore our bodies and spirits. May the genius of modern science work hand-in-hand with the ancient wisdom of the human heart. May the doctors, nurses...
We are beginning just the third Sidrah/portion in the Torah this coming Shabbat, and we are already immersed in the formative history of the Jewish people. In the opening verse of this intense portion, Abram, our first forefather, receives his call from G-d Almighty. We know virtually nothing about the...
The High Holy Days arrived during the busy month of Tishrei when we celebrated Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, almost without a break between them. We symbolically cast away our sins on Tashlich and spent days thinking about being more introspective with a focus of...
Our KI lobby and Tzedek Center is breathtaking right now. The lobby and Tzedek Center are filled with beautifully organized grocery bags abundantly filled with food for upcoming events in particular: Our HaMotzi Drive-Thru Dinner on Sunday, October 25 and the “Restock Your Pantry” for Cheltenham School Families in Need”...
All of us have had to make some sort of mental shift during this pandemic. I have found a mental shift is especially difficult when we are used to experiencing life cycles in person and when we have already envisioned these moments within a large gathering of those we love. ...
