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 20, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
(12/20/15),
Reflection on Friday night's White Out Shabbat with the theme of "Peacefulness"...
Dear Hevreh,
Peacefulness is not a state of being, it's not a place in which we feel "at peace." Rather peacefulness is a mentality, a willingness to put our minds, bodies, and souls in the right position to feel at peace. This doesn't just happen. It's not like there's a simple breath meditation that will blow down the walls of anxiety that make us feel restless, full of worry, and concern. However through each breath meditation, each song we sing together, each conversation we have about trying to bring peace into our lives, the more likely we make peace possible. God is called oseh shalom, the maker of peace, but[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat White Out Friday Night Tag : peace shalom
February 20, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
While many of our traditional prayers date back nearly 1700 years to the time of themishnah, there are elements of our "traditional" liturgy that date only 500 or so years ago to the time of the mystics (m'kubalim) in the holy city of Tzfat. What's amazing is not necessarily that these "modern" prayers, most notably L'kha Dodi and the creation of theKabbalat Shabbat service have been accepted into our traditional liturgy, but that they were universally done so within a single century! For a world in which ancient is defined as yesterday's Twitter feed, a century may seem like a long time for a a prayer service to go "viral." But seen in context of a liturgy that hasn't changed substantially in nearly 1700 years,[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat White Out Friday Night Tag : rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat soul mate white out friday night y'did nefesh ידיד נפש
February 18, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Join us for a special uplifting Friday night spiritual experience THIS FRIDAY NIGHT (1/21) as we dress in all white to reflect the purity of Shabbat and come together to sing, dance, meditate, converse, and lift our spirits.
After we replenish our souls we will replenish our bodies with a tasty dinner from Levy's Kosher Italian restaurant.
Dinner costs $18 per person.
Please RSVP for dinner by Thursday February 20th. You can call the office at 732-442-2431 or email the office at officebethmordecai@gmail.com to secure your reservation.
Category : White Out Friday Night Tag : white out friday night
February 14, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
(2/14/14)
One year after college while I was working at Park Avenue Synagogue as a Torah reader, the leadership of the synagogue decided to celebrate the dedication of their new Torah by bringing in Jewish singer/songwriter Craig Taubman, who created a highly successful "rock concert-like" Friday night service in Los Angeles known as Friday Night Live. I remember attending the event and feeling a powerful energy emanating from the music, the crowd, and the spirit of the evening. I could see why this event, which happens on a regular basis in LA, is called "Friday Night Live" - because it makes Friday night comealive.
Perhaps one day we will be able to bring Craig Taubman or a similar performer to[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat White Out Friday Night Tag : craig taubman friday night live park avenue synagogue rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat message white out friday night
November 8, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Each of us is capable of finding our own sense of "peace." Whether it's a relaxing walk, a good book, or perhaps even coming to shul, there are certain times when our minds are relaxed and our spirits are put at ease as we experience the calming effect of...peace. How do you find a sense of peace? Have you ever wondered why there certain moments, particular environments, or perhaps even encounters with people give you that sense of peace? How is it that at one moment our hearts, minds, and souls are full of restlessness but at the very next moment we can fill ourselves with love, as the sh'ma teaches us, and thus become aware of an overwhelming feeling of[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Shabbat White Out Friday Night Tag : rabbi's journal shabbat shalom white out friday night
November 5, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
*Note: This message is a little longer than usual
Dear Hevreh,
When I experience the need for some musical inspiration I often turn to Spotify, a popular online music sharing service. As I'm sure many of us have, there are a number of different playlists on my Spotify account. However, there is one particular playlist that seems to be on repeat whenever I need some help thinking or writing about a topic (like I'm doing right now). That playlist is simply called "White Out Friday Night."
Last winter we ran a new Friday night program in which community members were encouraged to wear white as a symbol of the snow on the ground and the purity and holiness of Shabbat. More than[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat White Out Friday Night Tag : music rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat spirit white out friday night