Congregation Beth Mordecai
Congregation Beth Mordecai
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
September 24, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
As I sit at my desk trying to think about how to describe our upcoming celebrations of the holidays of Sh'mini Atzeret and Simhat Torah, I'm struck by a particular thought. Judaism is a religion that thrives on anxiety. Now bear with me, for a moment -- we just celebrated the High Holidays which is a period of serious reflection as we consider the aspects of our character that we'd like to work on for the following year. Yet Rosh Hashanah is supposed to be a joyous holiday, and Yom Kippur is considered to be a Shabbat Shabbaton, the greatest of all Sabbaths, and no one would mistake Shabbat for a sad occassion. The juxtaposition of the solemnity[...]
Category : Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Sh'mini Atzeret Simhat Torah Yom Kippur Tag : dance holidays joy rabbi's journal rosh hashana Rosh Hashanah sh'mini atzeret shemini atzeret simchat torah simhat torah Yom Kippur
September 16, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
I feel a sense of newness, perhaps even a lightness of spirit, after the Yom Kippur we just celebrated together. I'm not sure if it's specifically because of this year's experience, or if it happens every year (and I just don't remember much about last year!), but regardless it's really a refreshing feeling, one which I will savor as long as I have it.
It's refreshing because it gives me a sense of gratitude for what we just accomplished. From the hallowed Kol Nidre to the final Avinu Malkeinu and shofar blast, this Yom Kippur was truly an inspirational experience. There are many people I want to thank for their participation and volunteerism (you can see the list at the[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Yom Kippur Tag : avinu malkeinu high holidays rabbi rabbi's journal Yom Kippur
September 15, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
The moment you have all been anxiously waiting for is finally here. . . . the president’s appeal! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Norman Silverstein and I am the president of our Temple. I would like to welcome all our members and all our guests and wish you a Shana Tova. This is my first year making the president’s appeal, because for the last 3 years it was given by our former president, Michael Gast, who has shown great dedication and leadership at our Temple, but as I have said, this year it’s my turn. Let me ask you 2 simple questions First Question 1) Why are YOU here? Maybe it’s Obligation, maybe like fiddler on the roof it’s[...]
Category : Holidays President's Message Purim Yom Kippur Tag : high holidays joni mitchell Michael Gast mordecai Norman Silverstein obligation president's appeal purim queen esther
September 14, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Rabbi Ari Saks Congregation Beth Mordecai Yom Kippur Sermon 5774 (September 14, 2013)* Standing behind the doors of the closed ballroom in one of the finer hotels in Spokane, Washington, I nervously prepared myself for one of the scariest, most vulnerable moments in my 17 years of life…running for Religious Education Vice President of Pinwheel USY, the local region of United Synagogue Youth. My hands sweaty, my heart in my stomach, I opened the doors and did this…cue Mordecai Ben David music…That’s right, I danced into a room full of teenagers rocking out to Mordecai Ben David’s classical religious single, “Moshiach, Moshiach, Moshiach! (or Messiah, Messiah, Messiah!)” Though I don’t remember exactly what I said – I probably blacked out after that[...]
Category : Holidays Sermons Uncategorized Yom Kippur Tag : holidays sermons Yom Kippur
September 13, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Rabbi Ari Saks Congregation Beth Mordecai Kol Nidrei Sermon 5774 (September 13, 2013)* When you turn on the TV at night, there are many options from which to choose. Personally, I have seen too many episodes of reality TV competition shows, like Top Chef or Project Runway than I’m proud to admit. Though they are hardly my first choice, the unfolding drama is hard to resist. One of the themes that often come up in each of these competition shows is just how much the competitors don’t like teams. They are individual artists with their own aesthetics, or to use language that we have developed here, they have their own unique Torah of how to be an artist and they don’t[...]
Category : Holidays Sermons Yom Kippur Tag : sermons Yom Kippur
September 12, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Yesterday I had the privilege, in my role as a chaplain in Perth Amboy's Police Chaplain Corps, to participate in a service honoring the victims and heroes of the September 11th attacks twelve years ago. One of the themes that came up often during the Scripture readings and prayers by my fellow chaplains was the need to be unified and, more specifically, that we are stronger when we affirm that which keeps us together than when we focus on what pulls apart. It's not always easy to be unified when you know there are certain, important differences that make each one of us a unique creation by God. Yet by recognizing that we all are unique creations by God, that[...]
Category : Perth Amboy News Rabbi's Journal Yom Kippur
By bethmordecai no comments.
Rabbi Ari Saks Congregation Beth Mordecai High Holidays Bulletin Article, 5774 Last Friday, for the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we had a special and unique High Holiday experience that was not the normal, traditional service. The order of the service was different, there was no Torah service, and we had opportunities for discussion and some dancing, in addition to some other innovative methods used to enhance our Rosh Hashanah experience. Overall, the feedback has been that it was a fun and meaningful service. Yet the service would never have been possible if it were not for a combination of a unique quirk of the Jewish calendar and the unique customs in which we observe our holidays. The unique quirk of the Jewish calendar is the existence[...]
Category : Bulletin Articles Passover Rabbi Rosh Hashanah Sh'mini Atzeret Shavuot Simhat Torah Sukkot Yom Kippur Tag : 5774 attendance diaspora etrog halakhah high holidays history innovation israel Jewish calendar jewish law lulav mission lulav and etrog passover pesach pesah rabbi's tisch Rosh Hashanah sh'mini atzeret shemini atzeret simchat torah simhat torah sukkot torah unique high holiday experience Yom Kippur
August 15, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Join us for the High Holidays!
Category : Holidays Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : advertisement high holidays holidays Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur
July 12, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, I'm sitting here in my office, practicing my reading for the Torah portion for this week (Parashat Pinhas), and I'm struck by a story that relates to something I was thinking about at the Board of Trustees meeting last night. We were talking last night about finding volunteers for the High Holidays, and during that discussion I wondered...how do we motivate people to give up their precious free time and commit to helping our community? I had a suspicion of what my answer was (and to be truthful, I've thought a lot about it over the years), and that suspicion was confirmed tonight while practicing the Torah reading: Motivation comes from feeling like we matter. In this week's Torah portion, the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : Board Meeting high holidays motivation pinhas rabbi rabbi's journal volunteer פנחס
July 10, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, I am very excited because I am on my way to New York City today! It'll be nice to step out onto the streets I called home for over a decade, but more than anything else, this trip is about a threefold commitment I am making to our community: 1) PROVIDING MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES - This morning I will be meeting with Cantor Levine to start working on High Holiday services that are meaningful, spiritual, and relevant to our Jewish community. These are the kinds of activities that get me very excited and I look forward to being part of a team (which can include all of you!) to provide high quality spiritual experiences. I am psyched for the High Holidays[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : community high holidays meaning meaningful experiences new york one on one rabbi rabbi's journal wisdom