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!
August 14, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat Re'eh 2015/5775 (Triennial II): Can I Eat Chicken with Milk? The Balance Between Personal and Communal Choices
Judaism is unique because of the ubiquity of argumentation. For instance, one opinion says chicken is meat and CANNOT be eaten with milk, and another says chicken is NOT meat and CAN be eaten with milk. Can we choose any opinion we'd like? Or is there a point when the community chooses one opinion and we cannot go against it?
In this week's Torah portion we learn of the principle "lo titgodedu" ("do not gash yourselves") (Deuteronomy 14:1). We'll learn how this principle applies in its context and how it is used by the rabbis to understand how to balance making personal Jewish choices[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : choice Deuteronomy 14:1 kashrut kosher lo titgodedu online learning online parashah class r'eih re'eh re'ei re-eh לא תתגודדו
February 13, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
As a child, I loved it when it snowed. It felt like an unexpected gift because not only would it (usually) mean a day off from school, but the sight and feel of snow made me feel happy, even a little whimsical. There is such an indescribable beauty to the whiteness covering the earth that you might even call it spiritual.
Perhaps that spiritual element is embedded in a teaching from Pirkei D'rabbi Eliezer(chapter 3) which states:
הארץ מאי זה מקום נבראת? משלג שתחת כסא כבודו. לקח וזרק על המים ונקפאו המים ונעשו אפר ארץ שנאמר "כי לשלג אמר הוי ארץ" (אויב לז:ו) וכו
From where was the earth created? From the snow underneath [God's] Throne of Glory. God took the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : choice judgment kabbalists mercy rabbi rabbi's journal snow zohar