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 26, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, It's amazing what a few phone calls and emails can do. Last Friday morning, I emailed and called some members of our community to let them know about a special minhah service we were having before our regular Friday night service so that one of our members could recite Kaddish on the day of his father's yahrtzeit. It just took a few emails and phone calls and before you know it...we had a full house in our chapel at 7:45 pm! It's incredible how technology can make it so much easier to get in contact with people and how we can rally people together in such a short period of time. The type of fast communication we take for granted[...]
Category : Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : bonfires Elul emails israel minyan Palestine Palestinian rabbi rabbi's journal Rosh Hodesh small time
April 17, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
(4/17/14)
Human beings love to count. Whether we are counting sheep in our sleep or attendees at services, there is something built into our DNA that enjoys the act of counting. It soothes us and it gives us a sense of accomplishment, especially when we reach a desired number at the end of our counting. Yet, Judaism teaches us that while counting is an inevitable part of life, we must also be wary of the dangers of putting too much stock in numbers.
As the Magen Avraham, a 17th century Polish commentator on the Shulkhan Arukh, writes in one of his long comments on Orah Hayyim (156:2), it is forbidden to count Jews:
אסור למנות ישראל אפילו אינו מכוון למנות רק להטיל גורל אפילו[...]
Category : Omer Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : 1 Samuel 11:8 1 Samuel 15:4 counting counting Jews Judges 1:5 magen avraham minyan omer passover rabbi rabbi's journal shavuot spiritual journey Yoma
March 4, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Bulletin Article
March 2014
The Healthy Growth of Our Minyan
A few months after my first High Holidays at Beth Mordecai in 2012, I was sitting with our (now) President Norman Silverstein to talk about what was happening in the synagogue. The meeting occurred in the middle of the week after another failure to make a minyan[1] on Saturday morning. As we talked about some of our successes like the Pep Rally, Shabbat by the Sea, the High Holidays, and the Installation, Norman also made a critical point about our minyan. He said that the health of our community is only as strong as our weekly minyan because that’s where we spend the most amount of time together. At the time,[...]
Category : Bulletin Bulletin Articles Rabbi Tag : bulletin bulletin articles growth minyan rabbi
August 15, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
This is what community is all about...
After a wildly successful Shabbat by the Sea this past Friday night, we still managed to make a minyan the next day on Saturday, something that would have been very unlikely not so long ago.
This is what community is all about...
Last night 16 people got together at the schul for a weekday evening service so a member could say Kaddish on the day of her father's actual yahrtzeit. Through phone calls made by Sherry Weber and the Caring Committee, and through our other outreach efforts especially through Facebook, we showed how our community can come together at a moment's notice.
This is what community is all about...
Earlier in the day a handful of volunteers[...]
Category : Ari-archive Caring Committee Tag : alan roy caring committee community minyan rabbi rabbi's journal rubber duck race shabbat by the sea Sherry Weber
June 6, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
There are certain moments when you realize the purpose of being a part of a Jewish community. It could be inspiring services like our past Cantorial Showcase or our upcoming Friday Night Shabbat By the Sea. It could be fun social oriented events with friends like Sunday's Trip to Brighton Beach or June 20th's Movie Night. It could be moments of great insight into the meaning of our tradition, like we try to do every Friday during our Online Parashah Class.
Yet, despite the worthiness of all of these Jewish communal opportunities, I think the one that hits the closest to home is when we are grieving and we need our community to support us.[...]
Category : Ari-archive Cantorial Showcase What's Been Happening at Beth Mordecai Tag : Brighton Beach Cantorial Showcase community food minyan movie online parashah class presence rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea shiva