Rabbi's Week in Review - 12/26/2023
12/26/2023 12:41:59 PM
As I write this, Fay and I are returning from a memorable trip to Chile. While I could write solely about our time in Patagonia and its awesome, overwhelmingly beautiful landscape carved out of ice millions of years ago — and a feeling of some insignificance in relation to G-d’s created world — there are other pieces of the trip that had me connecting back to our own stories and our present existence.
Three components to our...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 12/11/2023
12/11/2023 04:03:34 PM
I am thrilled to announce that Congregation Kol Ami has established a position of director of engagement, and Julia Patterson will serve in the role. We approached the Menorah Heritage Foundation with the idea for a project titled “Radical Inclusion.” The idea of “radical inclusion” is to be more of who we already are, seeking out those who have been marginalized and have not felt welcome elsewhere — those from the queer community,...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 12/4/2023
12/04/2023 04:17:14 PM
This past Sunday, I did a presentation on jazz and jazz history, with an emphasis on Kansas City jazz. It has been awhile since I have taught jazz, so it involved more preparation than I expected.
After many years, I still hold that jazz, at its foundation, is an African-American art form. It has been and continues to be a vital means of creative expression and communication when other forms of expression have been denied...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 11/27/2023
11/27/2023 04:28:39 PM
The present Israeli-Palestinian conflict rarely strays from my thoughts. I tend to be a news junkie — television, radio and print media — during more settled times, and these are not settled times. I’m rarely far from the next piece of news regarding the hostages or progress toward a cessation of the destruction from all sides.
And, yet, the myriad of other problems in the world persist. An exhibit at the Momentary Museum in...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 11/20/2023
11/20/2023 02:59:50 PM
I have in recent weeks spoken a lot about our conflicting emotions in response to the ongoing conflict and violence in Israel and Gaza. This week we have our annual Thanksgiving celebration. Regardless of the holiday’s historic origins, we do recognize Thanksgiving as a time when we have the opportunity to plug into a sense of gratitude.
People who know me also know that my favorite form of prayer is the prayer of gratitude. There...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 11/13/2023
11/13/2023 03:08:54 PM
At our Shabbat study, worship and brunch at the house last Saturday, I discussed the Halakhah, the Jewish law, surrounding war. One of the sources I cited was the Jerusalem Talmud (not to be confused with the Babylonian Talmud). The excerpt relating to war reads as follows:
“And one shall stand before Eleazar the Priest, who shall inquire of them by the judgment of Urim before G-d” (Bamidbar/Numbers 27:21). The verse shows that...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 11/6/2023
11/06/2023 04:01:12 PM
I have been inundated (or maybe I have continued to be inundated) with requests to sign on to statements and/or letters to elected officials advocating with certainty to a particular position regarding the present horrific conflict between Israel and Palestine. The only thing about which I have certainty right now is my uncertainty. At this point, I have merely tried to maintain, above all, a sense of compassion and humanity for those who...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 10/30/2023
10/30/2023 03:53:29 PM
Since Hamas’ barbaric attack on innocent Israelis October 7 and the subsequent response from Israel, I have been inundated with online requests to sign on to letters with different asks — from demanding a full cease-fire from Israel to full-throated support for whatever military action the IDF takes against Hamas in Gaza, and a number of options in between. How do we prioritize release of the hostages in the most difficult of...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 10/24/2023
10/24/2023 12:42:52 PM
In our response to the horrific terrorism inflicted by Hamas against Jews in southern Israel, our ongoing concern for the hostages and innocent Israelis and Palestinians has not changed much since last week. The need to express feelings and the struggle in how to respond to these events remain.
We also remain concerned about the welfare of Jews and Muslims here in the United States. As of this writing, we do not know the perpetrator...Read more...
Rabbi's Week in Review - 10/16/2023
10/16/2023 06:09:32 PM
I write this amidst the exhaustion that has come during the most emotional time in my rabbinate. I’m still feeling emotions of fear and sadness in the pit of my stomach from the horrific and brutal violence and emotional harm inflicted on our Jewish people in Israel just a little over one week ago. I will continue to feel emotionally troubled, as I know, from the time of writing this blog until it is published later in the week, there...Read more...
Sun, May 11 2025
13 Iyyar 5785
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