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!
November 15, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
"In a situation like this, nothing is fast enough. The need is massive, the need is immediate, and you can't reach everyone."- Max Roxas, Interior Secretary of the Phillipines "The international community needs to resist the urge of the savior syndrome, to come in and think they can duplicate the structures [of aid], can do better, can do without the government [of the Phillipines], because that will only worsen the response."- Sara Pantuliano, Head of the Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute "A time of disaster is a time to help others. It is not a time to think only of self and forget others. It is a time to console and embrace our neighbors. It[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : care caring haiyan lo alekha hamlakha ligmor pirkei avot rabbi's journal shabbat message typhoon לא עליך המלאכה לגמור פרקי אבות
November 14, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, As some of you may have already seen on Facebook, the synagogue has renewed my contract which means that I will continue to be your rabbi for at least the next 2-3 years (and hopefully longer!). Rachel and I are both very excited about staying here at Beth Mordecai and in Perth Amboy, primarily because the community has embraced us with open arms. From the services to the parties and all of the special events that bring us together, our kehillah, our community, makes us feel right at home. The word kehillah is so important. It comes from the root k-h-l meaning "gather" or "congregate." In other words, the heart of what makes a community a community is[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Uncategorized Tag : kehillah kiddush rabbi's journal shabbat
November 13, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
DAY 501: A Request on Behalf of My Shul That's About More Than Just Raising Money For today's entry, I want to share with you a letter I crafted to family and friends to ask for their support in buying a duck for a rubber duck race (see below). While it was important to describe the event, I felt it was also important to share with them why this event is so meaningful to me. I don't expect that everyone will agree with my motivations, but by hearing my personal story I hope that people will understand that this[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Rubber Duck Race Tag : fundraiser fundraising rabbi's journal rubber duck race
November 8, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Each of us is capable of finding our own sense of "peace." Whether it's a relaxing walk, a good book, or perhaps even coming to shul, there are certain times when our minds are relaxed and our spirits are put at ease as we experience the calming effect of...peace. How do you find a sense of peace? Have you ever wondered why there certain moments, particular environments, or perhaps even encounters with people give you that sense of peace? How is it that at one moment our hearts, minds, and souls are full of restlessness but at the very next moment we can fill ourselves with love, as the sh'ma teaches us, and thus become aware of an overwhelming feeling of[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Shabbat White Out Friday Night Tag : rabbi's journal shabbat shalom white out friday night
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 5, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
*Note: This message is a little longer than usual
Dear Hevreh,
When I experience the need for some musical inspiration I often turn to Spotify, a popular online music sharing service. As I'm sure many of us have, there are a number of different playlists on my Spotify account. However, there is one particular playlist that seems to be on repeat whenever I need some help thinking or writing about a topic (like I'm doing right now). That playlist is simply called "White Out Friday Night."
Last winter we ran a new Friday night program in which community members were encouraged to wear white as a symbol of the snow on the ground and the purity and holiness of Shabbat. More than[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat White Out Friday Night Tag : music rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat spirit white out friday night
November 4, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, As many of you know, I have been on a personal campaign since I started as your rabbi to meet with every member of the congregation. These meetings aren't simply to say hi and introduce myself, but rather an opportunity to hear the stories that matter most to you - the stories of your upbringing, of your family, and if your Jewish journey. Stories have been a big part of my rabbinate as you can see here, here, and here, and the process of meeting people one on one to hear your stories is a method of building community that was reinforced during the community organizing training I was apart of last week at JTS. The idea[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Tag : community organizing JOIN rabbi's journal Rabbinical Assembly stories Twitter unique torah
October 8, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, We are still less than a month removed from our High Holiday celebrations as a community, and I hope you are still feeling some of the positive effects of those days together and that they helped make the wisdom of a Jewish tradition come alive for you. I've already heard a good amount of positive and constructive feedback from you on the content and the process of those days, yet in order to make the lessons from those days stick throughout the year, and in order to improve the overall experience of the holidays every year, it is important to know more. That is why this week I will continue to listen to anecdotal feedback through private conversations and[...]
Category : Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : feedback high holidays holidays rabbi rabbi's journal Review Ron Miskoff Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur
October 1, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, On Kol Nidre, I challenged our community to build something special that will last. Yet if we are truly going to build something special then throughout this process we must identify the ingredients that will go into our "special sauce." Identifying these ingredients will require opportunities for us to come together on an individual and communal basis to share our Jewish passions with one another, which means that one of the key indicators for knowing that we are on our way to crafting our special sauce is how successful we are at coming together and showing up at schul. Enter Exhibit A...Holiday attendance. I'm not talking about the High Holidays, but rather the joyous holidays of Sukkot, Sh'mini Atzeret, and Simhat[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Sh'mini Atzeret Simhat Torah Sukkot Yom Kippur Tag : high holidays jewish passion rabbi's journal rabbi's tisch sh'mini atzeret simhat torah sukkot unique torah Yom Kippur
September 25, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, 5 Reasons I love Torah.... #1 -- Every time I look at a piece of Torah, I find something new I never found before #2 -- Just looking at the letters as they drip with tradition and Godliness is a spiritual experience #3 -- Who knew that dancing with a scroll could be so much fun? #4 -- It grounds me, and reminds me to serve a higher purpose greater than myself #5 -- Recognizing that Torah does not only live in a book; it lives in our hearts, as our own Unique Torah What are some of the reasons YOU love Torah? What are some of the ways that Torah lives in YOUR heart? Come join us to explore those questions, and to have a fun[...]
Category : Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Simhat Torah Tag : holidays rabbi rabbi's journal simchat torah simhat torah