I read an article recently about the Bar Kohba revolt which took place 2,000 years ago. Maybe you know about it. If not, let me tell you the story. Centuries ago, way back in the year 132 in Israel, with the great Temple just recently destroyed, the Roman ruler of...
Message delivered by Rabbi Benjamin David at the Israel Prayer Vigil on October 11th, 2023. I stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. As a rabbi, as the grandson of Holocaust survivors, as someone who has walked the sandy hills of the Negev and gazed out from the grassy mountaintops...
These have been deeply upsetting days. As the world watches, Israeli citizens are being murdered by a terrorist entity bent on the annihilation of Jews and a Jewish state. It is gut-wrenching and awful. This is – by far – the most egregious attack on Israel and Israelis in a...
Elie Wiesel wrote about marking Simchat Torah while interred in Auschwitz. There were of course no Torah scrolls to be found. Life was a harrowing, belittling reality. Food was scarce. Death lived around every corner. Robbed of their dignity, inmates struggled not only to live, but to remember who they...
View in Browser Dear Congregational Partners, We hope you are enjoying a very happy, healthy, and sweet start to the new year. As always, we are grateful for your partnership and support. We wanted to follow up on our e-mail from the end of the summer with some reminders and...
“And the Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Say to the Israelite people: On the fifteenth day on this seventh month there shall be a Feast of Booths to the Eternal One to last seven days’” (Leviticus 23:33). Sukkot is everything Yom Kippur is not: light, upbeat, outdoors, casual and...
Have we gone numb to the pain? As I write these words, countries on the other side of the globe are recovering from mass devastation. In Morocco, an historic earthquake took the lives of over 2,000 people. In Libya, a mass flooding event has claimed thousands of lives. This, following...
Our Torah states that on Rosh HaShanah we are to mark ‘a sacred occasion’ (Lev 23:24). Our commentators will define Rosh HaShanah as a ‘day of remembrance.’ The Talmud will note that this is one of many new beginnings we celebrate amid the year. Our sages will also refer to...
I love my job. I would not even call it a job; it is a life or a lifestyle. You are not a rabbi only when the synagogue is open or only during the day. You are not a rabbi only on Shabbat or during the High Holy Days. It...
Shalom! As we conclude another incredible summer at Camp Harlam, we want to thank you for your ongoing support. The relationship between camp and the congregations in our region are critical to our growth, development, and success. We wanted to share some important information with you as we now shift...
