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!
July 13, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, In these few hours before Shabbat begins, I just want to leave us with a few blessings wherever we find ourselves this Shabbat... May this Shabbat be one of peace... May this Shabbat be one of understanding and forgiving... May this Shabbat be one of rediscovering our passions and loves... May this Shabbat be one of trying something new... May this Shabbat fill us with joy, love and appreciation for the beauty of life... Have a wonderful Shabbat. Kol Tuv, Rabbi Ari Saks P.S. can't wait to see those of us who come to Shabbat by the Sea!
Category : Ari-archive Tag : peace rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea
July 12, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, I'm sitting here in my office, practicing my reading for the Torah portion for this week (Parashat Pinhas), and I'm struck by a story that relates to something I was thinking about at the Board of Trustees meeting last night. We were talking last night about finding volunteers for the High Holidays, and during that discussion I wondered...how do we motivate people to give up their precious free time and commit to helping our community? I had a suspicion of what my answer was (and to be truthful, I've thought a lot about it over the years), and that suspicion was confirmed tonight while practicing the Torah reading: Motivation comes from feeling like we matter. In this week's Torah portion, the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : Board Meeting high holidays motivation pinhas rabbi rabbi's journal volunteer פנחס
July 11, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, As I mentioned yesterday, I spent the day in New York City meeting with Cantor Levine, members, and mentors. It was a whirlwind day of stories, advice, and information, but I left feeling one word...invigorated. In other words, it was one of those days when you don't feel as tired as you do on other days, because you know you did something worthwhile, meaningful, and interesting. Here are a couple of the snippets I learned that I posted throughout the day on Twitter via #PerthAmboyShul: From Cheryl August whose family has been affiliated with Beth Mordecai for generations: No matter where she is, whether it's Italy or New York City, Temple Beth Mordecai is her spiritual home From Karen Klein whose[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : #perthamboyshul barry dov schwartz cantor david levine cheryl august community elliot cosgrove high holidays karen klein rabbi rabbi's journal
July 10, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, I am very excited because I am on my way to New York City today! It'll be nice to step out onto the streets I called home for over a decade, but more than anything else, this trip is about a threefold commitment I am making to our community: 1) PROVIDING MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES - This morning I will be meeting with Cantor Levine to start working on High Holiday services that are meaningful, spiritual, and relevant to our Jewish community. These are the kinds of activities that get me very excited and I look forward to being part of a team (which can include all of you!) to provide high quality spiritual experiences. I am psyched for the High Holidays[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : community high holidays meaning meaningful experiences new york one on one rabbi rabbi's journal wisdom
July 7, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, (Note: this email is a little longer) First, I wanted to thank everyone for a beautiful, warm, and exciting Shabbat. It was a pleasure meeting new people, hearing and telling stories, teaching Torah, and worshipping together. I look forward to many more Shabbatot together. Still, shul is not the only place to celebrate the restfulness of Shabbat. If you were not in shul, I would love to hear how you spent Shabbat, and if you are OK with it I'd love to pass it on to the rest of the community as part of creating a virtual space for communal conversations. Along those lines, you might have noticed that at the end of my last email on Friday, I wrote below my[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : online rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea social media Twitter
July 1, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
To the Beth Mordecai community,
Today is my first official day on the job as your new rabbi! It's hard to imagine that this day has finally arrived after thinking about it for so long. Yet, it's here and I am even more excited and energized to do this job than the day I took it. With that excitement though comes a certain amount of nervousness because I want to make the community proud. I'll be honest, I don't know exactly where this journey is going to take us. There are many different possible endings. Yet I believe that if we work hard at listening to each other and out of that listening we do what we can to help each[...]
Category : Beth Mordecai in the News Middlesex Jewish News Rabbi's Journal Tag : comments community distinctive torah excitement journey local jewish community nervousness news rabbi's journal unique torah