An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
March 16, 2016 By bethmordecai no comments.
Announcing Beth Mordecai's First-Ever 50/50 College Basketball Bracket MadnessSweepstakes! Support your community and have fun in the process, playing America's March pastime -- filling out a bracket for NCAA Men's College Basketball's Tournament! Here are the important details: 1) Entry is only $5 per bracket (send Elliot a check or ask to be billed). You may enter up to 4 brackets per person. 2) Have fun with your brackets! You do NOT have to be an expert (or know anything about college basketball) to play. Be creative with how you choose the teams that will win. 3) You do NOT have to be a Beth Mordecai member to participate so invite your friends and family! 4) Total score is based upon the number of points collected throughout the tournament: 1st round = 1 point per[...]
Category : home What's Been Happening at Beth Mordecai Tag : basketball madness march sports
March 10, 2016 By bethmordecai no comments.
Previewing this Sunday's Mordy's Brunch Hour with Rabbi Gerald Zelizer... Dear Hevreh, Yesterday, we restarted the popular, weekly Ask the Rabbi program at Menlo Park Mall on Wednesdays at 12 pm. One of the reasons for returning to these weekly sessions is because it gives a chance for informal conversation among us, to open up about deeper conversations on faith, family, and the future of Judaism. But what's more these conversations, and the ones that follow over the phone, over coffee, and over kiddush, among rabbis and congregants form the bond that makes our community strong. Through talking we build a partnership to make Beth Mordecai the greatest Jewish home any soul could ever yearn for. This is why I am so[...]
Category : home Mordy's Brunch Hour Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : community Middlesex County Mordy's Brunch Hour rabbi rabbi's journal zelizer
February 26, 2016 By bethmordecai no comments.
Mordy's Brunch Hour -- Engage TRADITION ($10 for members; $20 for non-members) Featuring Rabbi Gerald Zelizer, Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Neve Shalom. A Rabbi's Work: Building Synagogue Life in Middlesex County - Past, Present, & Future Discover the history and uncover the possibilities of synagogue life in our area of Middlesex County. Rabbi Gerald Zelizer, Rabbi emeritus of Congregation Neve Shalom in Metuchen NJ and a leading Jewish communal figure in Middlesex County for over 45 years will share his thoughts on the nature of the rabbinate and Jewish communal life. RSVP on our Facebook event page Share the flyer with friends! PROGRAM 9:30 -- Tallis and Tefillin Service 10:30 -- Brunch begins 11:00 -- Lecture Begins Mordy's Brunch hour is a series of lecture programs[...]
Category : Adult Education home Learning Mordy's Brunch Hour What's Been Happening at Beth Mordecai Tag : Gerald Zelizer Jewish Middlesex County Mordy's Brunch Hour tradition
December 16, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Check out all of our great Hanukkah celebrations -- in our homes, in our shul, and in our community -- through this entertaining video montage. Share with your friends and family to let them know all of the great things we are doing at Beth Mordecai!
Category : Hanukkah Holidays home Social Media videos-archive Tag : #VirtualHanukkah hanukkah social media video
October 30, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Beginning with Abraham, the Israelites are in constant search for home. Their existence is predicated upon the constant search for home and the reality of living in the diaspora or exile. Is it possible for the Israelites to truly ever reach home? Is it possible for us to ever find our true home? Or is life a constant search for it, with lots of stops along the way. We'll look at this question through Abraham's search for home and in particular his sojourn in the land of the Philistines for "many days" (Genesis 21:34). Join us for this fascinating class on finding home. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SOURCE SHEET! Classes from other years: 2012/5773 -- Shirking Responsibility for Hurricane Sandy 2014/5775[...]
Category : home Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : Abraham Genesis 21:34 home online learning online parashah class torah portion vayeira vayera וירא
October 23, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat Lekh Lekha 2015/5776: Tears As Prayer Prayer is more than words, it's an emotion. More concretely, it's an emotional response to the realities of our lives. We find ourselves praying in good times and in bad, but when things are tough our prayers seem to get louder. No wonder then that, in the rabbinic imagination, crying that leads to tears is one of the most powerful forms of prayer that we have. In this week's Torah class, we will explore how Tears can be a form of Prayer through the example of Hagar, Abram's maidservant, as she runs away from home. Join us for this powerful and important class on the emotional nature of prayer. CLICK HERE FOR SOURCE[...]
Category : home Online Learning Online Parashah Class
October 16, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
"אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני" -- טעם ימיני בעבור כנורותינו כי בימין נגון היתרים - אברהם אבן עזרא על תהילים קלז:ה "If I forget thee O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither" -- The meaning of "right hand" has to do with [playing] our violins (or musical instruments) because you use your right hand to play the strings - Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra (12th Century, Spain) on Psalms 137:5 Dear Hevreh, If you've ever been to Jerusalem, you'll notice that there's music always in the air. It's not the kind you hear on the radio or in a beautiful sanctuary, but the kind you hear within your soul. It's music that's been playing since the moment God saved Isaac on the top of Mt. Moriah,[...]
Category : home Israeli News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Services Shabbat Tag : israel jerusalem rabbi rabbi's journal
October 2, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat V'zot Hab'rakhah 2015/5776: The Power of Blessing -- Can Blessings Tell Us the Future? In the first chapter of the Torah's last portion (Deuteronomy 33), Moses grants blessings to the 12 tribes of Israel much in the same way that Jacob offers his final words to his 12 sons at the end of Genesis (Genesis 49). The parallels are striking including specific phrases and metaphors to describe the sons/tribes. What's also striking is that Moses is said to offer the tribes a "blessing" (Deuteronomy 33:1) whereas Jacob is said to offer his sons insight into what will happen in "the latter days" i.e. the future (Genesis 49:1). Since Moses seems to be doing the same thing as Jacob with using the[...]
Category : home Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : blessing future online learning online parashah class V'zot Hab'rakhah Vezot Hab'rakhah weekly torah portion וזאת הברכה
September 4, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat Ki Tavo 5775/2015 (Triennial II) -- The Power of Blessing Blessings are all around us; some are hidden and some are plain to see. It is part of the human condition to search out blessings because we know they have power. But what is that power? What makes us yearn to say "I bless you" and to experience the feeling of being blessed? Join us to discuss the power of blessing through the lens of four discrete blessings in this week's Torah portion (Deuteronomy 28:3-6). Photo taken from -- Photo taken by C. Jill Reed on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulmatsherm/
Category : home Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : k'li yakar k'li yaqar keli yakar keli yaqar Ki Tavo online learning online parashah class parasha parashah parsha
June 3, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Please click on one of the links below to donate to Beth Mordecai, your Jewish Home for the Soul! Rabbi's Discretionary Fund General Fund Friday Night Oneg Shabbat -- $50 Shabbat Morning Kiddush -- $100 Memorial Tablet -- $300 Brass Memorial Plaque -- $1195 If you would like to make a donation in honor of someone's memory or for any other special occasion, please follow the instructions below: Click on one of the funds above Fill out the form including your name, address, credit card info, and the amount to be donated Click "Review Donation and Continue" On the top half of the[...]
Category : home