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!
March 7, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
If you take a look around the internet or ask a number of Jewish leaders, you might get the feeling that a bar or bat mitzvah (plural = b'nei mitzvah) is not such a good thing. Too much time focused on the party, too little emphasis on the meaning of "coming of age," too much memorization of random words and phrases in Hebrew of uninspiring Torah and Haftarah portions. If you listen to enough of the noise about b'nei mitzvah you might get the impression that they signal the decline of Jewish life.
I admit that I often agreed with these sentiments, perhaps because when I became a bar mitzvah I wanted to do and lead much more of the ritual service than my peers, including reading all of
Category : Bar and Bat Mitzvah Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : b'nei mitzvah bar mitzvah bat mitzvah keeping up with the steins leviticus rabbi rabbi david wolpe rabbi rick jacobs rabbi's journal vayikra
December 11, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
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Category : Bar and Bat Mitzvah Jewish Culture and History Jewish Current Events Tag : africa bar mitzvah bat mitzvah donation t shirts
November 7, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Cherish zikkaron, cherish memory -- memory is the engine that drives our people forward because it binds our past together (Rosh Hashanah 5773 Day 2 Sermon -- Living the Inner Life of the Holidays) Dear Hevreh, During the bar mitzvah celebration this past Sunday, a number of people remarked how the sanctuary housed a deep spiritual presence of Jewish memory. Even though many of the attendees never stepped foot in our sanctuary before Sunday, they felt as if they were returning to where they came from. Memory, especially Jewish memory, is a powerful tool that binds us together as a people. Whether it's committing ourselves to never forget the atrocities done to our people or to simply enjoy our favorite Jewish "soul" food, powerful Jewish experiences seem to[...]
Category : Bar Mitzvah Rabbi's Journal Reunion Weekend Rosh Hashanah Tag : bar mitzvah memory past rabbi's journal reunion weekend vision
November 3, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Today is a wonderful day because for the first time in recent memory, we welcome a teenage Bar Mitzvah boy and his family to mark this wonderful occasion for their family in our community. By partnering with the Hebrew Corner, a non-denominational Hebrew School run by Cantor Avima Darnov, we connected with Lyle and Robin Sandler who were searching for a venue to host the bar mitzvah of their son, Ben. After many conversations and opportunities for the Sandlers to experience our community (including participating in our Unique High Holiday Experience on the second day of Rosh Hashanah), they agreed to host this wonderful simhah in our Jewish home. Being a part of the Sandlers' simhah is a wonderful privilege for our congregation and it[...]
Category : Bar and Bat Mitzvah Bar Mitzvah Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Youth Education Tag : avima darnov bar mitzvah grow community hebrew corner jewish home Rosh Hashanah simhah unique high holiday experience