Lately a lot of people have said to me that my kids are so grown up. They’ve made a transformation. I love these comments, because I usually feel it’s commentary on the transformation my daughters, Aria and Kira, are going through and I appreciate that someone took the time to...
This week’s Torah portion Chayei Sarah, means “Life of Sarah,” but it actually speaks of how Abraham deals with the loss of his beloved wife, Sarah. In verse 23:2, there are two different verbs for mourning. One is “to wail” and one is “to cry.” This story reminds us that...
As we celebrate our joyous holiday of Sukkot, I would like to invite you to explore the tradition we call “ushpizin” in your own Sukkahs or in our beautiful Sukkah at KI. “Ushpizin” and “ushpizot”.is a short ceremony to welcome our ancestors- our patriarchs and matriarchs into our Sukkah. On...
We are entering into the month of Elul, a time of reflection and change. We look inward to find where we might have gone off track, and how we can, once again, align with ourselves, our community, and our world. In this week’s Torah portion Ki Tetzei, God tells us...
In this week’s Torah portion Eikev, we are given some good advice on how to handle large changes in our lives. In this portion, God reminds us that “the land we are about to cross into isn’t like Egypt from which you have come. There the grain you have sowed...
Last Sunday, our very own Lee Slobotkin, KI’s Creative Director, performed for our community in a beautiful concert filled with Broadway songs and contemporary music. (Thank you to our Women of KI and Adult Education Committee for making it happen!) It isn’t unusual for us to hear Lee singing or...
This week we have a transition of leadership within our synagogue. Our synagogue president, Janice Schwartz-Donahue, will be ending her three years as president. And of course, our beloved senior rabbi, Lance J. Sussman will be entering into Emeritus and retirement. Leading a synagogue for lay leaders is no easy...
There is a Yiddish song called “Oyfn Pripetchok,” and in the refrain it says that we must practice the Hebrew letters over and over again to learn. “Remember children, what you learn, repeat it again and again-kometz aleph o.” Repeating words, prayers, and teachings out loud is essential to learning...
As we look forward to our Gala Weekend, I have been reflecting on my own “Lessons from Lance.” As your cantor, I have had the great honor of working side by side with Lance for the last 19 years. You would think I would be much smarter than I am...
This past Shabbat, our congregation celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of Sophie Sussman. Sophie is the daughter of Kelly and Benji Sussman. Sophie is also the granddaughter of Rabbi Lance and Liz Sussman. At the Bat Mitzvah, (stream here-around 45 min) Rabbi Sussman reflected about his own Bar Mitzvah, and the...
