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!
December 14, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
In this week’s parshah, the Prime Minister of Egypt, Pharaoh’s right-hand man, reveals his true identity to the sons of Israel who had come seeking food in this time of famine. He is in fact Joseph, the brother they had betrayed, cast down in a pit and sold into slavery. “Then Joseph said to his brothers,…’I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was to preserve life that God sent me before you…and [in] another five years, there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you…’” (Genesis 45:4-6) Essentially, Joseph is saying that all his trials and tribulations, including[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Torah Teachings
December 6, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
This is from a reflection was written by my colleague, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. I would like to share it with you and please share your reactions and thoughts with me at Rabbi.SaraMetz@gmail.com.
People keep asking me about that New York Times article where a person is shocked to discover the fact that the war Hanukah commemorates is, a war, full of pain and trauma and atrocity, that it's not like a child's picture-book...The war through which we celebrate Hanukah was, in part, intra-Jewish, in which zealous traditionalists attacked and killed more assimilationist Hellenized Jews--WHILE FIGHTING THE SELUCID ARMY TO GAIN THEIR FREEDOM.
The catalyst for the violent revolution was the reigning Syrian Greek king, Antiochus IV, who demanded that Jews worship false[...]
Category : Hanukkah History Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
November 8, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
This week, we read of the birth of the twins, Jacob and Esau. We learn that from the time they were able, they were opposites. They struggled over who would receive their father, Isaac’s, blessing. This struggle is shown between two people yet it could also be viewed as a struggle between two archetypes or philosophies of life. Esau lives as a violent hunter who is most comfortable and adept in the outdoors. He is cunning and ruled by his impulses. Jacob is described as simple, innocent and gentle. Every day we have a struggle within us between being ruled by our impulses and living a more gentle and patient life. We have the inner tension between Esau, who represents the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Torah Teachings
November 1, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
Our parsha is called, Chaye Sarah, after the first three words that begin this section. The tex, Genesis Chapter 23:1 states: וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; (these were) the years of the life of Sarah. Our Torah text speaks of Sarah’s life twice in just this one sentence. Even in the announcement of her death, Sarah’s life is emphasized. Tree of Life Synagogue suffered an unimaginable tragedy this week. 11 souls, lost their lives in shul. They and we are mourning a loss of innocent life. Yet as we mourn, we honor their lives. Let us gather in the memory of Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Torah Teachings Uncategorized
October 18, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
This week we read in the Torah that Avram is commanded by God to “Go forth (לךלך) from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” In a careful reading of the Hebrew, the command God gives Avram, “Go forth,” or “Lech l’cha, לךלך” could be read to say, “Go for yourself.” Rabbi Shalom Noah Berezovsky expands on this idea in his book Netivot Shalom. ''Go for yourself. Everything a person encounters in their spiritual and material life, the bad, the good, is given to them so that they will correct their purpose in life. Therefore the verse says. “Go for yourself,” to your purpose, to correct your soul, and to what[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Torah Teachings
October 5, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
This week we celebrated Simchat Torah together. We enjoyed dancing and celebrating together. Jeremy Strauss finished our reading of the Torah and the book of Deuteronomy. Marc Fertik began reading from the beginning of Genesis. Our Torah begins with God creating the world. What existed before God’s creating was an unformed mass, it wasn’t nothingness, it was everything. Everything in this world was mixed together in a chaotic state. The Hebrew term for this chaos is תהו ובהו or “tohu v’vohu.” In our lives we too experience this kind of mixed up chaos, our own “tohu v’vohu.” So often when we find ourselves at the beginning of a big project, it can be difficult to figure out where to start. [...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Simhat Torah Torah Teachings
September 27, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
This Shabbat, the Torah portion that is read is from the end of the book of Exodus. We read this portion to correspond with the holiday of Sukkot instead of the next portion chronologically in the Torah, V'Zot Ha'Brachah which is read on Simchat Torah. I would like to share my thoughts on this final Torah portion. Deuteronomy 33:4 states: “תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהילת יעקב” Torah tzivah lanu moshe, morashah kehilat yaakov. The Torah was commanded to us by Moses, it is an inheritance of the community of Jacob. This verse can be separated into two parts. First, we have where the Torah came from. The Torah was commanded to us by Moses, and ultimately by God. Second, we have the statement[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Simhat Torah Sukkot Torah Teachings
September 12, 2018 By Beth Mordecai no comments.
[caption id="attachment_9704" align="alignright" width="318"] God’s presence surrounds us every moment.[/caption] When I was in my last year of graduate school, I worked at a synagogue in Malibu, CA. I would drive through cities, streets lined with strip malls turning onto a highway, then to narrow roads surrounded by brush and no cell service. My car would finally climb up the last hill and I would be overlooking the gorgeous Pacific Ocean before driving down to sea level. The view was incredible…the first time. After a couple of weeks, I was distracted making a to-do list in my head as I approached my job. After the first month, I almost didn’t notice the view. I then decided that I was missing something[...]
Category : High Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Sermons
By Beth Mordecai no comments.
How many of you have called out to a loved one and used the wrong name? Did you have a dog or cat growing up and was accidentally called their name by your parents? Growing up I would sometimes hear: Donna, Steve, Rusty, Samantha I mean Sara come here. When my father would call me my mother or brother’s name it wasn’t so bad, when he got to the cat or dog’s names… I didn’t love it. Then my father would look at me and say, well you know who you are. Like my father, I do this too. I cycle through the kids’ names before landing on the correct one. I too then look at the child I’m calling and declare, “Well[...]
Category : High Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Sermons
By Beth Mordecai no comments.
King Solomon challenged his wisest advisors to find him a ring that when worn could make a person cherish their joy and bring comfort in their sadness. The advisor searched high and low. With the deadline to the challenge approaching, the advisor went to the local market where he found ring with the following words engraved on it, “Gam ze ya’avor. This, too, shall pass.” King Solomon was delighted that his advisor had completed this seemingly impossible task. He saw when he was melancholy, the message on the ring would comfort him and remind him of sunnier days ahead. When he was at the height of contentment, the ring would humble him and remind him of life’s fleeting nature. Legend has[...]
Category : High Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Sermons
