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 12, 2016 By bethmordecai no comments.
"I was a shepherd in Africa...now I shepherd Jewish people to Israel"
- paraphrase of Dr. Avraham Neguise, Likud Member of Knesset and Chairman of Committee on Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs
Dear Hevreh,
Israel has always held a special place in my heart. Between college and rabbinical school I took five trips to Israel and after each one my appreciation and love for the miracle of the Jewish State only increased. I even contemplated making aliyah at one point until I felt commanded to serve the Jewish people and religious life in America. This story is not new - many non-Israeli Jews feel a call to join the Jewish project in Israel, yet for one reason or another find[...]
Category : home Israeli News Middlesex Jewish News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america appreciation bible connection diaspora israel miracle MK Dr. Avraham Neguise Rabbinical Association in the Heart of New Jersey rahnj relations shepherding Yom Haatzmaut
August 6, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
(8/6/15), דינא דמלכותא דינא The law of the land is the law Babylonain Talmud (Nedarim 28a, Gittin 10b, Baba Kamma 113a, Baba Bathra 54b and 55a) Dear Hevreh, Jews have almost always lived in lands not under their control. In such an environment, it's been incumbent upon the Jewish community to negotiate with the ruling powers to secure the Jewish population. From the very outset, Abraham had to negotiate burial rights for his wife; Joseph had to negotiate his way into power; and Moses had to negotiate for Israel's release from Pharaoh (with God's heavy hand behind him). In the times of the Babylonian Talmud, the Jews lived under control of many foreign governments including the Sassanids, who conquered Babylonia from the Parthians[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america Babylonia diaspora kingdom land law rabbi rabbi's journal Reverend Anne-Marie
By bethmordecai no comments.
דינא דמלכותא דינא
The law of the land is the law
Babylonain Talmud (Nedarim 28a, Gittin 10b, Baba Kamma 113a, Baba Bathra 54b and 55a)
Dear Hevreh,
Jews have almost always lived in lands not under their control. In such an environment, it's been incumbent upon the Jewish community to negotiate with the ruling powers to secure the Jewish population. From the very outset, Abraham had to negotiate burial rights for his wife; Joseph had to negotiate his way into power; and Moses had to negotiate for Israel's release from Pharaoh (with God's heavy hand behind him). In the times of the Babylonian Talmud, the Jews lived under control of many foreign governments including the Sassanids, who conquered Babylonia from the Parthians in 226[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america diaspora interfaith rabbi rabbi's journal
July 16, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Over the past few years, the threats and tumult of tunnels, rockets, bombs, and mayhem has not only terrorized the physical well being of the State of Israel, but the consciousness of the Jewish people worldwide. Our minds are tuned into the latest threat with a kind of tunnel vision that is fueled by black and white images of ghettos and gas chambers. How can we focus on anything else when our existence seems to be in constant peril.
The radicalness of Shabbat is that no matter the gravity of our physical danger, every seventh day a moment of rest beckons us to change our focus from the anxieties of our outer life to the needs of our inner life. Yes,[...]
Category : American Jewish News Ask the Rabbi Israeli News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america american jewish news Argument Disagreement Iran israeli news jewish people Politics rabbi rabbi's journal unity
November 11, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
(11/11/14),
"The conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declarator and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficient ends of its institution"
- Preamble to the Bill of Rights (1789)
Dear Hevreh,
Today we celebrate Veterans' Day, a day in which we recall the sacrifices made (and to be made) by the men and women of our armed services to guard our nation and protect our freedoms. It has often struck me how the language we use in describing our armed services in America (like in[...]
Category : American Jewish News Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america american jewish news Bill of Rights Constitution constriction egypt freedom God kabbalah military mysticism perth amboy perth amboy news power rabbi rabbi's journal Syria tzimtzum
September 12, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Yesterday our country commemorated another anniversary -- the 13th -- of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. This "bar mitzvah" year is no celebration, but as we shared at Perth Amboy's commemoration yesterday it is an opportunity to recall what unifies us together, what makes us uniquely American. For many of our ancestors, America represented a beacon of light that promised a better and more prosperous future for us, their children. And for many of us though not all, that promise of a "goldene medinah (a golden land)" has been fulfilled. Yet, for many, including in our community and in our hometown, that promise is still a dream. If we are one of the lucky ones who feels[...]
Category : Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : america American perth amboy perth amboy news rabbi rabbi's journal September 11th shabbat message
June 16, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
JEWISH CURRENT EVENTS -- Et tu Presbyterians?
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Post by Congregation Beth Mordecai.
Category : American Jewish News Israeli News Jewish Current Events Social Media Tag : america american jewish news BDS boycott facebook interfaith israel israeli news jewish current events presbyterians social media
May 26, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
As I was preparing to sit down to write these words, I came across an email from the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP) sharing the story of Jewish American soldier, Sergeant David Rosenkrantz, who was killed in World War II. I read his story after watching President Obama share the stories of children, spouses, and parents who also made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their nation. These stories, while powerful and moving, also left an indelible impression that the purpose of Memorial Day is not to rally our country behind the shared ideals that are worth protecting and make us all American, but to honor the individuals and the families who actually protect America, thus[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america Memorial Day parashah discussion patriotism rabbi rabbi's journal sacrifice
May 13, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Cliffnotes: Join me for a special Ask the Rabbi at 12 pm on Thursday at the food court of Menlo Park Mall to discuss JStreet
Dear Hevreh,
I try as best as I can to schedule my day according to the different roles I want to play in life, including community builder, spiritual leader, father, husband, pastor, and some others. Though following a schedule based on these roles is often aspirational, it helps me remember my own personal mission and the goals and the values that are most important to that mission. One of these roles is to be "an American," which means I try to spend time working on projects that connect my own mission to the values of pursuing freedom[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : america ask the rabbi conference of presidents of american jewish organizations israel j-street jstreet rabbi rabbi's journal
November 28, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
// Post by Congregation Beth Mordecai.
Category : American Jewish News Hanukkah Holidays Jewish Culture and History Jewish Current Events Tag : america american jewish news hanukkah jewish culture and history jewish current events rabbi sharon brous thanksgiving thanksgivukkah