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!
May 6, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
(5/6/15),
One important takeaway I took from last week's Adult Ed lecture on Judaism and Islam is that there is good and there is bad in almost all relationships, especially in ones that span continents and centuries. Speaking in hyperbole, whether good or bad, is often unproductive because we lose the nuance -- the ability to hold multiple and perhaps conflicting truths together -- necessary for open and honest conversations about the future. If we close ourselves to only one worldview we won't be aware that...
The deceased former king of Saudi Arabia decided to break from Wahhabism and devote himself to interfaith dialogue...
The leaders of the Palestinians still won't recognize Israel even in closed door meetings...
A relatively unknown country[...]
Category : Adult Education Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education Burton Visotzky christianity conversation dialogue ignorance islam israel judaism nuance palestinians qatar rabbi rabbi's journal saudi arabia Understanding
April 27, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
One reason I love Hebrew is because its words can have very different, if not opposing, meanings. One example is the term "lev" (לב) which is often translated as "heart" in verses like Deuteronomy 6:5 ("You shall love your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might"). But as some scholars explain, the term "lev" should not be translated as heart but rather as "mind" or "consciousness." For instance, Proverbs 14:10 is often translated as "the heart ("lev") knows its own bitterness." But how can the heart -- the seat of emotion and passion -- be self aware enough to understand itself? Rather, it makes more sense to understand[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : adult education Burton Visotzky heart Jewish-Muslim Lev Mind rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea
April 23, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Whether in shul or in the news, there's been a lot of talk and conversation about the antisemitism facing Jews in Europe and the challenges Israel faces in defending itself. As well, there are fears of growing anti-Israel sentiment in America, especially on college campuses, and how those sentiments are the expression of the "new" antisemitism. Underlying all of these fears, either at home or abroad are two (similar) questions that inform the way we approach these real challenges facing the Jewish community:
Can Jews and Muslims get along?
Can Judaism and Islam coexist side by side?
For many who say NO, they point to the practices of ISIS and the statements of Hamas and Khameini shouting Death to Israel, as if[...]
Category : Adult Education Jewish Current Events Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education Burton Visotzky Jewish-Muslim rabbi rabbi's journal
April 1, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
There was a moment during this past Saturday's Cantor Showcase, there was a moment when I closed my eyes and the Cantor's voice filled them with tears. It wasn't just that she sang a beautiful piece, but that it was sung in our magnificent sanctuary. My tears reflected the sublime joy of the special kind of Judaism we experience in our shul.
So how do we create more moments like that? By coming together on a frequent basis to experience the joy of Judaism as a community. When we spend more time together we will inevitably think about, discuss, plan, and execute the kinds of programs that grow our shul. Programs like...
Passover "Shabbat" Seder on Saturday Evening at 5 pm
Category : Ari-archive Tag : adult education cantor showcase Cantorial Showcase Jewish muslim programming rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea weekly services
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 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
November 10, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Join us THURSDAY for the SECOND installment of our Adult Ed Series: A Little Schtickala of Yiddishkeit
HEBREW PRACTICE -- 7:00 - 7:30 PM
Build your reading skills -- beginner to expert!
We will pair you with a partner on your own level!
Siddur Hebrew or Modern Hebrew!
Session 1 -- 7:30 - 8:15 pm
Secrets of the Hebrew Language -- The letter "Bet" with Rabbi Saks
Come and learn the secrets of the Hebrew language in this special class designed to demystify each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This month we do the letter Bet.
FOOD Break – 8:15 – 8:30
Session 2 – 8:30 – 9:15 pm
"Why Do they Hate Us"? A discussion on the origins of Anti-semitism with Rabbi Saks
How old is anti-Semitism really?
When did[...]
Category : Adult Education Hebrew home Jewish Culture and History Tag : adult education anti-semitism hebrew jewish culture and history
November 6, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
For better or worse, much of the history of Jewish life in America has revolved around synagogues, whether it's small shtibles in which Jews traditionally prayed three times a day, or larger community centers envisioned by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, or the current incarnation of homes for Jewish people to gather and share important moments in the calendar year and in their life cycle. And even though there have been attempts to expand the kinds of programming offered at synagogues, the foundational element for synagogues are the religious services provided to the community.
So does this mean that, for better or worses, Jewish identity, so intertwined with synagogue life, is built around services? Is Jewish identity primarily related to our religious[...]
Category : Adult Education Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education jewish identity rabbi rabbi's journal services synagogue
By bethmordecai no comments.
JEWISH CULTURE & HISTORY -- Do Progressive Jews Believe in the Afterlife?
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Post by Congregation Beth Mordecai.
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Photo taken from -- http://www.tytnetwork.com/2013/12/01/science-professor-claims-can-prove-theres-afterlife/
Category : Adult Education Jewish Culture and History Social Media Tag : adult education afterlife facebook jewish culture and history progressive jews social media
May 27, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Last week I talked about how the growth of our community can be seen in our ability to run multiple programs during the weekend. This weekend provides another opportunity for us to display that growth with our Cantor Showcase (Friday 8 pm), Scholar-In-Residence (Saturday 11 am) and Annual Congregational Meeting (Sunday 10 am).
But why should you come out to these events? What's their value to you as an individual and to us as a community?
Over the course of the week I will be sharing individual journal entries about each of these particular programs and events to explain how they represent some of the most exciting and important values of our community. But in the meantime,[...]
Category : Adult Education Cantorial Showcase Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education apple Cantorial Showcase community rabbi rabbi's journal scholar in residence unique torah value your verse