Posts Tagged ‘rabbi’s journal’

rabbi’s journal

September 24, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 451: Hakafot, Yizkor, and Anxiety

Dear Hevreh, As I sit at my desk trying to think about how to describe our upcoming celebrations of the holidays of Sh'mini Atzeret and Simhat Torah, I'm struck by a particular thought. Judaism is a religion that thrives on anxiety. Now bear with me, for a moment -- we just celebrated the High Holidays which is a period of serious reflection as we consider the aspects of our character that we'd like to work on for the following year. Yet Rosh Hashanah is supposed to be a joyous holiday, and Yom Kippur is considered to be a Shabbat Shabbaton, the greatest of all Sabbaths, and no one would mistake Shabbat for a sad occassion. The juxtaposition of the solemnity[...]

Category : Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Sh'mini Atzeret Simhat Torah Yom Kippur
Tag :

rabbi’s journal

September 23, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 450: Finding Meaning (and Vulnerability) in Turning On My Car’s Ignition

Dear Hevreh, I could be mistaken, but I don't think many of us find the act of starting our cars a meaningful moment in our day. For those who drive regularly, it is a mundane occurrence that we don't think about (until that inopportune moment when our cars won't start). Yet there I was, sitting in my car on Friday morning, about to turn on the ignition and feeling lots of butterflies in my stomach as if I was walking into a room full of teenagers. All of a sudden, a simple act that I have done countless times in my life became a spiritual test, full of meaning. Why was this ignition start different than all other ignition starts? Because this[...]

Category : Holidays Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Sukkot
Tag :

rabbi’s journal


By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 450: Finding Meaning (and Vulnerability) in Turning On My Car’s Ignition

Dear Hevreh, I could be mistaken, but I don't think many of us find the act of starting our cars a meaningful moment in our day. For those who drive regularly, it is a mundane occurrence that we don't think about (until that inopportune moment when our cars won't start). Yet there I was, sitting in my car on Friday morning, about to turn on the ignition and feeling lots of butterflies in my stomach as if I was walking into a room full of teenagers. All of a sudden, a simple act that I have done countless times in my life became a spiritual test, full of meaning. Why was this ignition start different than all other ignition starts? Because[...]

Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Sukkot
Tag :

rabbi’s journal

September 16, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 443: Savoring that Refreshing Feeling

Dear Hevreh, I feel a sense of newness, perhaps even a lightness of spirit, after the Yom Kippur we just celebrated together. I'm not sure if it's specifically because of this year's experience, or if it happens every year (and I just don't remember much about last year!), but regardless it's really a refreshing feeling, one which I will savor as long as I have it. It's refreshing because it gives me a sense of gratitude for what we just accomplished. From the hallowed Kol Nidre to the final Avinu Malkeinu and shofar blast, this Yom Kippur was truly an inspirational experience. There are many people I want to thank for their participation and volunteerism (you can see the list at the[...]

Category : Rabbi's Journal Yom Kippur
Tag :

rabbi’s journal

August 15, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 411: This is what community is all about…

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 :

rabbi’s journal

August 13, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 409: Making Meaning

Dear Hevreh, Wow, what an incredible Shabbat. The music, the dancing, the spirit, the views by the bay, the delicious food...everything about Shabbat by the Sea this past Friday was amazing! With nearly 60 people at our unique service and over 40 people at our community dinner, it was a highlight event for our Jewish Home for the Soul. Check out this link for some pre-Shabbat pictures from Shabbat by the Sea! Yet the moment that really did it for me, the moment in which I knew we really hit on something, the moment in which I knew what we did was "soulful," was when Alan Siegel mentioned to me that "it wasn't just fun, it was also meaningful." That comment, more than[...]

Category : Ari-archive
Tag :

rabbi’s journal

August 9, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 405: A Prayer for This Shabbat

Dear Hevreh, May this Shabbat connect us to our tradition May this Shabbat connect us to our inner creativity May this Shabbat connect us to the aspiration of our souls May this Shabbat connect us to the joy of Judaism May this Shabbat connect us to our desire to do t'shuvah (repentance) May this Shabbat connect us to the sound of our inner shofar And above all, may the experience of tonight's Shabbat activities connect us with God, with each other, and with ourselves Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Ari Saks P.S. And one last thing...may the weather for this Shabbat hold out so that we can have Shabbat by the sea :) Photo taken by C. Jill Reed on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulmatsherm/

Category : Ari-archive
Tag :

rabbi’s journal

August 8, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 404: The Pausing Effect of Shabbat…Especially THIS Shabbat

Dear Hevreh, In previous messages I've talked at length about the need to pause, to take stock of where you are in this moment in order to prepare yourself for the next moment. Shabbat is a wonderful opportunity to take that pause because it is a yom m'nuhah, a day of rest, meaning that it's primary purpose is to force us to pause the hustle and bustle of our weeks to check where we are and where we're going. With the High Holidays around the corner, what better way to check our spiritual "temperature" than with the "thermometer" of Shabbat? Especially this Shabbat, the first one of the month of Elul, a month in which we are commanded to blow the shofar[...]

Category : Ari-archive
Tag :

rabbi’s journal

August 6, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 402: Building Connections That Matter

Connection is why we're here. It gives purpose and meaning in our lives - Researcher storyteller Brene Brown This past Sunday, Rachel and I hosted a wonderful event in our house. Over 20 "young people" (loosely termed) who are members or are affiliated with our congregation gathered together for a fun barbecue to schmooze, meet each other, and have a good time. It was a lot of fun, and in the words of Torah I shared towards the end of the day I mentioned that it's in moments like these when we can spend good quality time together in order to make connections that matter, connections that make us feel that this is a group and this is a[...]

Category : Ari-archive Caring Committee
Tag :

rabbi’s journal

July 12, 2013
By bethmordecai
no comments.

DAY 377: Shabbat Means To Dwell

Dear Hevreh, The Hebrew root of the word Shabbat is "lashevet," which means "to dwell." Is there not a better explanation of the essence of Shabbat than of dwelling? Dwelling is the act of remaining in place, an act which may seem easy but in fact can be very difficult. There are so many distractions, so many other things on our mind that it can be tough to simply dwell and enjoy being in our special spaces. There many different kinds of spaces we dwell in, like in our home, in the schul, or (among others) in a gazebo at the park like the one we will dwell in NEXT Friday night for Shabbat by the Sea. Yet wherever we[...]

Category : Ari-archive
Tag :