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 7, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
(8/7/15),
Somewhere between mile two and three on the beautiful Green Trail of Cheesequake State Park, Reverend Anne-Marie Jeffery of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Perth Amboy and I were talking about the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is analogous to comfort -- when life is good to us, we feel happy; when we are worry free, we feel happy; when we can sit back and relax in our favorite easy chair, we feel happy. When things are easy, we feel happy, But when things are hard -- when we are engaged in a difficult or challenging task -- can we feel happy?
Take for instance a hike in the forest. Not one of those strolls on wide dirt roads, but[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : Hiking interfaith joy nature rabbi rabbi's journal Reverend Anne-Marie Jeffery
March 25, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
There we were on Sunday afternoon, four Jewish-Christian couples, a minister, and a rabbi, sitting in the chapel at Beth Mordecai sharing meaningful objects from our respective traditions. Kippot, crosses, bibles, prayer books, necklaces, candles were brought forward, each one with a story to tell about how its "owner" found meaning in their existence. Through these wonderful objects, we shared more than just stories -- we shared ourselves, how each one of us finds deep and powerful meaning in being faithful to our religious traditions and how there is so much for us to learn from one another.
These are not the stories you normally hear in the media about interfaith couples and families. What you normally hear is how if you[...]
Category : Interfaith Families Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : interfaith families Jewish-Christian meaningful objects rabbi rabbi's journal Reverend Anne-Marie Jeffery St. Peter's Episcopilian Church
November 19, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, This afternoon I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with Reverend Ann-Marie Jeffrey, the spiritual leader of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, our partner institution for tomorrow (Tuesday) night's Interfaith Thanksgiving service @ 7 pm @ Beth Mordecai (REFRESHMENTS INCLUDED!). While we spent part of the time working on the finishing touches of our innovative service for tomorrow, we spent the majority of time just...talking. We talked about our calls to service, about the Bible, about the afterlife, about the nature of religious institutions, and so on and so forth. It was a wonderful conversation because for a moment the daily grind of emails, phone calls, and obligations disappeared. For a moment the mundane was replaced by the[...]
Category : Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : conversation innovation interfaith service Reverend Anne-Marie Jeffery st. peter's thanksgiving
November 15, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Psalm 31:13 נשכחתי כמת מלב הייתי ככלי אבד I am put out of mind like the dead; I am like an object given up for lost The sad news of the sudden passing of Cantor David Lavine z"l is a reminder to me of the gift and tenuousness of life. Over the past couple of months, I spent a good time with Cantor Lavine preparing for the holidays, and though our relationship was a professional one, he was a big part of my life for my first few months at Beth Mordecai. I would call him often, to plan our meetings in New York, discuss innovative ideas for services (we used some of his brainstorms in our service), and to practice the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : cantor david lavine cantor david levine death memories rabbi rabbi's journal relationships Reverend Anne-Marie Jeffery St. Peter's Episcopal Church thanksgiving