This past Sunday night we gathered in celebration of Simchat Torah and to consecrate our newest religious school students. It was a joyous evening of singing and dancing with our Torah scrolls and communally acknowledging the importance of Jewish learning. We finished our cycle of Torah reading with the last few verses of Deuteronomy and

“Chag Sameach!”  Is the traditional greeting during the holiday of Sukkot. We wish each other a “happy festival.” There are three festivals that the Torah commands us to observe throughout the year, the other two being Passover and Shavuot. Sukkot is also called by two other names, Zeman Simchateinu, meaning “the Season of our Joy” and Chag Ha’asif,

As we approach Yom Kippur, a day on which we need to transcend the barriers between us and heaven, may we understand that we will come before God armed only with our prayers and our intentions. May our intentions be sincere and may we find just the right words, so that our teshuvah brings us the healing of which

With Labor Day behind us, our Temple calendar gets much busier, and we begin to look ahead to the many opportunities we’ll have to gather in community. That theme is present in this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim. The portion begins with the words Atem nitzavim, ‘”You stand together” all of you before Adonai your God.’

As a nation we mourn the passing of Sen. John McCain; it is a time to put aside partisan politics. Statesman, patriot, war hero, he was a public servant in the truest sense of the word. In his farewell statement, in addition to expressing gratitude for his life and love of his family and country,

“Finders, keepers” is NOT a Jewish expression! In fact, Judaism teaches us just the opposite! If an Israelite comes upon a fellow Israelite’s ox, donkey, or garment, it is to be returned to its rightful owner (Deut. 22:1-3). This is one of many laws given in this week’s Torah portion Ki Teitzei regarding communal responsibility.

At the end of this week is Rosh Chodesh Elul, which begins a month of spiritual preparation before the High Holy Days. Among the customs of Elul are blowing the shofar at morning services as a reminder of the approaching New Year and the recitation of Psalm 27, which states Achat shaalti mei-eit Adonai (“One thing do I ask of Adonai“)…

Expressing appreciation helps cultivate positive feelings and healthy relationships. Hakarat Hatov, the Jewish value of expressing appreciation, is incorporated into our prayer service. The Amidah, the central portion of the service which is offered while standing, includes a prayer called Hoda’ah, which means “gratitude.” In this week’s Torah portion, Eikev, Moses shares with the Israelites that God is bringing them into “a good

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad  (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Shema is an unusual prayer. While prayers are often directed to God, the Shema is more a theological statement of belief. How the words are translated, contributes to its meaning. After translating the beginning as “Hear, O Israel,” we might translate the second part in one

The end of last week brought us to Rosh Chodesh Av. Although July is a time that many of us are enjoying summer vacations and time in the sun, Av’s most notable feature is a time associated with mourning and loss. Our tradition teaches that on Tisha B’Av (the 9th of Av), which begins at the end of this week’s Shabbat, both Temples