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!
August 14, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY Recently, I’ve been thinking about my grandfather, Harry Allen. It was his yahrzeit last week, so it makes sense, but in truth he has been on my mind. I’d like to tell you about him. Harry S. Allen was raised in Denver, Colorado, the child of immigrants from Marianpol, Lithuania. Like many Jews of that time, they owned a store with their home in the apartment above. Grandpa served in Europe during WWII as a navigator on B-24 bombers flying missions out of Italy. He flew something like 50 missions and was awarded two purple hearts among other decorations and commendations. He used to remark about his choice to join the Air Force instead of the army, saying that[...]
Category : home Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
March 19, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
I found the prayer very helpful and calming for me. The leadership of Beth Mordecai and I will be contacting our members. Please email Rabbi Metz at Rabbi.SaraMetz@gmail.com if there is any way we can do to help during this difficult time. A Prayer of Hope During this Pandemic by Rabbi Naomi Levy We are frightened, God, Worried for our loved ones, Worried for our world. Helpless and confused, We turn to You Seeking comfort, faith and hope. Teach us God, to turn our panic into patience, And our fear into acts of kindness and support. Our strong must watch out for our weak, Our young must take care of our old. Help each one of us to do our part to halt the spread of this virus Send[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
March 16, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
In this week’s parsha, Ki Tisa, we learn that each adult male was required to contribute the same amount, a half-shekel towards the building of the Mishkan, the portable Tabernacle in the desert.
This mitzvah or commandment served two primary functions: it was a census, counting all the adult males potentially eligible for battle, and it helped to build up a fund to pay for the construction of Mishkan.
The nature of each contribution being the same amount suggests the importance of each person. Each person has equal value to this world and God. Yet the amount that was given was only half a shekel from each adult male.
Each person matters. This tax was only required by the adult males, yet each[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
March 5, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
Following the description of the structure of the Tabernacle last week in Parashat Terumah, our portion, Tetzaveh, leads off with a depiction of the High Priest’s “sacral vestments” - the choshen hamishpat (breastplate of decision), the ephod, a robe, a fringed tunic, a headdress, and a sash. Classical commentators describe the purpose of those pieces of clothing is to elevate the holiness of Aharon, the High Priest, Kohen Gadol. Those items were made specifically for holy use. They are different and set apart from other articles of clothing. They were made with great care out of precious materials to be both beautiful and awe-inspiring. However, there were also specific elements of the sacral vestments that God commanded be included, not because of[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Uncategorized
March 3, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
Parashat Terumah details the construction of some of our earliest sacred objects: the Ark of the Covenant (yes, the same one Indiana Jones found), the Tabernacle, and the sacred altar. Many of these objects take on central roles throughout the rest of the Torah and into Jewish history. The Ark of the Covenant led the Israelites on their march through the wilderness and in early battles for the Land of Israel. The Tabernacle was the portable sanctuary that eventually led to the construction of the Temple, the permanent sanctuary we still turn towards when we pray. As important as each of these objects are, they are in certain ways surprising. We speak of God as being without body or substance, so why do we have physical[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
February 17, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
Last week we experienced the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea. This week, we stand together at Sinai to receive set of teachings commonly known in English as “The Ten Commandments.” The content of these teachings is as important as their order. They are: I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall not have the gods of others before Me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image… You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain… Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it…. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. Honor your father and your mother… [...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
February 6, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
The Torah was written with an economy of language, meaning a minimum of words. Every black letter carefully written on the white parchment holds within it immense meaning and potential. The Rabbis often look for interpretations and explanations to better understand the text. Often the Torah switches from one narrative to another and back again. Between 400-1200 CE, the Rabbis compiled various narratives that come to explain or give more detail about a part of the Torah know as Midrashim. Exodus 14:5-22 states, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
January 30, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
In this week’s parsha, Bo, we celebrate our exodus from slavery. We, the children of Israel are a mighty nation that God is bringing out from slavery to redemption, to freedom. God brings us out as a community.
Our Torah tells us “a mixed mixture went up.” The rabbis believe that every word in the Torah was specifically chosen by God for a reason. In this verse, I believe the Torah is commenting on community and relationships. Not only is there a mixture of people going up from slavery to freedom, it is a diverse group that is mixed amongst itself. I understand this verse to be telling us of the importance to branch out from your family or your social comfort[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
January 23, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
As the Plagues of Egypt are about to begin, the Torah relates that God tells Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his hand over the river. It seems strange that Moses does not do it himself! Our sages offer a compelling explanation. Since the river sheltered Moses in his basket when he was an infant, Moses is not allowed to hit the river now, and instead, Aaron is given the job. The reasoning seems somewhat odd. What difference does it make that the river once “helped” Moses? Will it be “insulted” if Moses hits it now? Since when do rivers have feelings? And why is it better that Aaron hit the river? Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl discusses this question in his book Talks[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
January 6, 2020 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
The running joke in my family is that none of our kids have glasses… yet. If someone does,not yet have glasses, it is a matter of time for each of them. Yet how well a person sees with their eyes and how one sees with their hearts are two very different things. We just celebrated the new year of 2020. Bob Dylan asks us, How many times can a man look up, before he sees the sky? He tells us the answer is blowing in the wind. Many compare God’s presence in the world to the wind. It cannot be seen directly, yet it can be felt, and we can see its effect. There are many things in this world we cannot[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal