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!
March 6, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Tonight is Celebration Shabbat a chance for all of those celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or other simhahs in March to come together in song, dance, and blessing. (Full disclosure: I will be one of the ones celebrating a birthday blessing tonight ;-) ). Yet, to be honest, every service is an opportunity to celebrate together. Whether it's checking in on our weeks or just enjoying the rituals of our tradition, there's nothing like coming together in community and celebrating our Judaism.
But in addition to these joyous kinds of celebration, there is another critical kind of celebrationthat we experience every Shabbat service. It's the celebration of life through the recitation ofkaddish for a loved one. Yes, kaddish helps us grieve, and grieving is not something[...]
Category : Celebration Shabbat Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : Celebration Shabbat rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat
March 1, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
מה שנהגו ללבוש פרצופים בפורים וגבר לובש שמלת אשה ואשה כלי גבר אין איסור בדבר מאחר שאין מכוונים אלא לשמחת בעלמא (שלחן עורך, סימן תרצ"ו, סעיף ח')
The custom of wearing masks on Purim, or men dressing in women's clothing and women dressing in men's clothing, is not forbidden since the only intention [of these actions] is mere happiness" (Shulkhan Orekh, 696:8)
Dear Hevreh,
It's fun to play a "B" movie star even though I should really have been an A-lister. As my self-obsessed alter-ego Kelly Kingsley would have said during last night's FANTASTIC Murder Mystery Party, "The only thing stopping me from getting to the top is bad movie directors and poor talent evaluators." It was fun to play a character wholly[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal What's Been Happening at Beth Mordecai Tag : experiment fun identity meaningful experiences murder mystery social events
February 13, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
(2/13/15),
Sometimes inspiration hits you like a bolt of lightning, sometimes it comes after deep introspection and reflection. And at other times, it comes in the shape of a tweet that is 140 characters or less:
Eli Kogan @elikogan 17m17 minutes ago
Shabbat shalom! Candle lighting tonight 5:10 pm (in NYC). Make kiddush not war! ;) Have a great Shabbos!
Make kiddush, not war...
This witty quip particularly resonates with me this week. Perhaps, with a little tongue in cheek, "making kiddush" is associated with the theme of this weekend's national holiday. Or perhaps, more soberly, it's because "war" intimates "violence" and we are coming off a week in which violence has[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : chapel hill community fellowship kiddush laugh peace rabbi rabbi's journal together valentine's day war
February 11, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Casual...
If I had to use one word to describe the reason behind why I host Learning with the Rabbi and Ask the Rabbi at Panera and the Mall (respectively), it would be "casual." By "casual" I mean creating a space and an opportunity that lends itself to open dialogue without judgement or fear of needing to put on a show. No one can deny that sitting down for a cup of coffee in a booth feels different than sitting across a desk in the rabbi's office. We are more likely to be honest and open with ourselves (and with the person sitting across from us) when we don't feel like we need to act in a certain way. If[...]
Category : Adult Education Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : Abortion ask the rabbi Casual Jewish Mall Questions Serious views
February 9, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
"וחי בהם" ולא שימות בהם
(תלמוד בבלי עבודה זרה כח:ב על ויקרא יח:ה)
"And you shall live by them" and not die by them
(Babylonian Talmud Avodah Zarah 27b interpreting Leviticus 18:5)
Dear Hevreh,
Ever since our people left Egypt we have been a nation of "mixed multitudes" (Exodus 12:38) an assortment of individuals and traditions from different backgrounds. Some come to share their unique backgrounds (see Jethro) and some come to experience the uniqueness of Judaism (see Aramaeans eating the Passover sacrifice). No matter the reason though Judaism has always mixed together with people and traditions from different cultures. It is part of our DNA as a wandering people.
Some would[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : backgrounds beauty catholic christian community encounter environment holiness holy interaction interfaith marriage Jewish live other rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat welcoming קדושה
December 12, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
As I've often remarked, Shabbat is a wonderful time to rest. It's a chance to break from the usual grind of work and life to take a moment and reflect. Yet, this Shabbat I'm thinking of another kind of "break" that also comes from the root of the word Shabbat (Sh-b/v-t) meaning "to rest;" yhat word is Sh'vitah which means "strike." In particular, sh'vitah refers to the actions of a group of people (usually workers) to STOP what they're doing in order to achieve some kind of goal (i.e. better wages, better working conditions, etc.). What is remarkable about the term sh'vitah (especially as it relates to Shabbat) is that by its very root it indicates that when someone (or some group)[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : rabbi rabbi's journal rest shabbat shvitah strike שביתה
December 6, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
In less than 15 hours, hundreds of little rubber ducks will be floating and racing in the pool at the YMCA of Raritan Bay for the 2nd Annual Perth Amboy Rubber Duck Race. As many of you recall, last year's inaugural race was preceded by much inquiry (what's a rubber duck race?) and fanfare as we attempted the first stand-a-lone fundraiser for the synagogue in years. It was a special experience with lots of fun pictures and (a video!) captured to immortalize the event in the annals of our synagogue's history. It was a day I will not soon forget.
This year, the feeling is different but just as significant. It's different because there has been less inquiry and less fanfare[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rubber Duck Race Tag : rabbi rabbi's journal rubber duck race ymca
November 20, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
(11/20/14), Most, if not all of us, are aware of the terrible crime committed the other day in a synagogue in Jerusalem. Terrorists murdered a group of Jewish worshippers while the worshippers were standing in the opposite direction -- to the east -- to davven the Amidah, a prayer recited by all Jews everywhere around the world. The symbolism of this horrible moment in an increasingly devastating conflict couldn't be more acute. The davveners were facing towards the center of Jewish worship -- the Temple Mount -- while their murderers attacked in response to purported fears that Jews wanted to take over the Temple Mount for Jewish worship. Despite occasional flare-ups, the fact that Jews pray towards the Temple Mount and Muslims pray[...]
Category : Adult Education Israeli News Jewish Current Events Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Services Shabbat Tag : adult education Amidah david kraemer israeli news jewish current events learning memory outrage rabbi rabbi's journal remember services shabbat
November 14, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
I've experienced many firsts in my time at Beth Mordecai, from lifecycle events to preaching, teaching, and organizing. But none of these firsts can compare to another first that I experienced while being at Beth Mordecai...the first time I became a father.
The wonderful highlights (and rare lowlights) of first year of fatherhood are too numerous and overwhelming to describe in a simple journal. But what I can share is that during this journey, it feels like every step (literally) is a major lifecycle event, every conversation is a chance to teach (and sometimes preach), and every moment is replete with the little details that need to be organized.
And as I reflect on this first year, I realize how Beth[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : birthday celebration community family father grateful gratefulness rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat message
November 13, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Hebrew is a wonderful, inspiring, charming, and yet deeply challenging facet of Judaism. It holds many of our greatest secrets and reveals the depths of Jewish wisdom. It is a language that has been dissected and analyzed for ages and much of what we know as Jewish -- from religious laws to cultural practices -- has a source in Hebrew (and particularly the Hebrew found in the Torah).
Yet while it is full of such richness, that richness is hidden behind a veil of strange looking letters, vowels, and symbols that can confound us. And not just us, but our ancestors as well, as in the case of Jews living in the first diaspora community in Alexandria who publicly read[...]
Category : Adult Education Jewish Culture and History Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education anti-semitism bet hebrew alphabet letters rabbi rabbi's journal