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!
September 10, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
We are in the middle of perhaps, what one member shared in his words yesterday, one "the holiest times of the year." These ten days of repentance, in Hebrew aseret y'mei hat'shuvah (עשרת ימי התשובה) present an opportunity for us to use all of that positive spiritual energy that's been building up through Rosh Hashanah to be a powerful vehicle for the change we want to see in our lives. In picking up on a theme we discussed at our musical Shabbat by the Sea in August, the Talmud teaches us that if we seek God, we can still find God "in the fields" during these 10 days of repentance (Rosh Hashanah, 18a). In other words, God is[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : fields God hearts high holidays image of God Rosh Hashanah vulnerability בצלם אלקים
September 5, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
The Necessity of Vulnerability for Connection Rabbi Ari Saks Congregation Beth Mordecai Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5774 (September 5, 2013)* It was a cool Rosh Hashanah morning in early September. All of the worshippers of the small schul in the center of town had already been davening, praying together for a few hours. They were currently davening the Mussaf Amidah, the central prayer in the second half of the service which we, here are Beth Mordecai, will soon pray together. Every worshipper was deep in their thoughts, shuckling back and forth as the words flowed from their lips…zohrenu l’hayyim tovim kol v’nei v’ritekha – God, remember us the children of your covenant for good. Little Deborah, all of 9 years old, stood watching as the men and women of[...]
Category : Rabbi Rosh Hashanah Sermons Uncategorized Tag : Rosh Hashanah sermons
August 15, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Join us for the High Holidays!
Category : Holidays Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : advertisement high holidays holidays Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur
August 8, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
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 : breathe high holidays Pause rabbi rabbi's journal Rosh Hashanah shabbat shabbat by the sea shofar Yom Kippur
March 23, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
From Transformation to Redemption: Stepping into the Red Sea and Beyond
(Shabbat Hagadol, March 23, 2013)*
Rabbi Ari Saks
Congregation Beth Mordecai
Perth Amboy, NJ
On a cold, blustery afternoon in mid-town Manhattan I sat down with Cantor David Levine, zikhrono livrakhah, may his memory be for a blessing, to discuss the upcoming High Holiday season. I was impressed with his breadth of knowledge on hazzanut, the art of cantorial music, and I was excited by his willingness to try new ideas to make the service more engaging and meaningful. Yet the most inspiring moment of my time with our beloved hazzan was[...]
Category : Passover Rabbi Sermons Shabbat Tag : cantor david levine egypt hazzanut high holidays mareh kohen passover pesah rabbi melinda zalma redemption Rosh Hashanah shabbat slavery transformation tzror hamor Yom Kippur