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!
May 4, 2016 By bethmordecai no comments.
Reflection on the beginning of Yom Hashoa, Holocaust Remembrance Day, beginning tonight with a program at the JCC at 7:30 pm...
Dear Hevreh,
Some of you may have already seen the email shared with our community, or the article I wrote in the New Jersey Jewish News on the subject, but right now there is a great need in our larger Jewish community to support our Holocaust survivors. Yes, we need to help our survivors because their stories are invaluable, their presence is precious, and their sacrifice is too great to articulate. But even more so, we need to help them because they have done so much to help us.
Earlier this November, during one of our parlour meetups,[...]
Category : home Middlesex Jewish News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : holocaust Jewish Federation middlesex jewish news Never Forget rabbi rabbi's journal stories Survivors
June 18, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Last week I was sitting at a table in the Menlo Park Mall for my weekly open "Ask the Rabbi" when I received a phone call from John*, a local resident who has come to me in the past for help with homelessness. Here is a not-so-exact version of our conversation:
Me: "Hi, John"
John: "Rabbi, are you at the mall?"
Me (a little surprised): "Um, yea."
John: "In the food court?"
Me: "Yes"
John: "Where? I don't see you?"
Me (turning around and seeing him): "Look behind you."
It turns out that John and some of his friends his saw the advertisement for "Ask the Rabbi" in the local paper and thought that instead of only coming to my door to ask for help in a crisis,[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : ask the rabbi homelessness maimonides rabbi rabbi's journal stories tz'dakah tzedakah צדקה
April 22, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
"Yesod is the sephira of foundation, and also of reproductive energy, of sexual energy. Yesod within Hesed brings awareness of the future, the generative energy of continuity, within lovingkindness. The foundation of the future is built on the creative continuity of the past. Jewish tradition teaches us that each generation stands on the shoulders of the last. Thus we are able to see further into the future by standing on a firm foundation. Today we remember that this entire pyramid of generations is upported by story, memory, and love. Without the founation, the pyramid, like a tower of cheerleaders, can tumble. The parade of generations is like a caravan over time, where precious cargo is guarded and passed on at each[...]
Category : Omer Online Learning Tag : foundation generations love lovingkindness omer online learning past stories חסד יסוד
April 8, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
As we approach our final week of preparation for the holiday of Passover, my mind turns to the art of telling the story of Passover. Stories are more than simply their content, they are the methods, the timing, the layers of how that content is shared, and the story of Passover is no different.
Our primary method of telling the story of Passover is through the reading of the Haggadah at the Passover seder. It is an ancient ritual, but not that ancient. The seder was crafted by the rabbis of the Tannaitic period (approximately 100-300 CE), which means that this scene most definitely never happened. So how was the story of Passover shared prior to the seder?
We get a hint at the answer by virtue of the fact that the haggadah itself[...]
Category : Passover Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : haggadah meaning passover rabbi rabbi's journal rabbis seder stories story storytelling
March 11, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Homecoming is FINALLY here! As we undergo final preparations for Homecoming Weekend (anyone free to make goodie bags with hamantaschen today?), I wanted to take a moment to share my excitement for this upcoming weekend of memories, fun, meaning making, and community building. In fact, I want to take 5 moments...a TOP 5, if you will, of things that I'm excited about for this weekend. In each journal this week I will share one of my top 5, culminating with Friday's blog that will have the top two things for which I'm excited.
If you'd like to share what you're excited about for this weekend, please email me and I will share it with our community.
And without further ado....
#5 -- Hearing and[...]
Category : Homecoming Weekend Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : homecoming weekend memories rabbi rabbi's journal stories
December 31, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Over the past two months, a small group of us have discussed plans for an adult education program for our community and out of that process has emerged two distinct themes: stories and shtickle.
First, stories. To anyone who has come to Friday night services or read some of my journals (like this one or that one), you'll know that stories are an important aspect of my rabbinate. Not only is storytelling one of the most effective ways of communicating ideas, especially in our culture which has a storied oral tradition, but it also provides an access point for us to share the Unique Torah we've accumulated from our life experiences. And by sharing those stories to access our Unique Torah, we create[...]
Category : Adult Education Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education rabbi rabbi's journal shtickle stories storytelling unique torah
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
July 2, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Everyone is unique. Today I met with two members of our community (Harriet Pearlman and Vardi Roy) and a colleague (Cantor Sheldon Levin from Neve Shalom in Metuchen). Each meeting was different with incredible stories, insights, and teachings learned from different life journeys. I did my best to listen, to learn, and to share my thoughts when appropriate. It is amazing what wisdom we contain, if only we are open to sharing it and to listening to it. Tomorrow I am meeting with another colleague (Rabbi Ben Goldstein of Temple Beth El-Mekor Chayim in Cranford) and two more community members (Larry Deutchman and Scott Gursky). I pray that I will be open to hearing their unique wisdom they to teach[...]
Category : Rabbi's Journal Tag : local jewish community one on one stories unique torah unique wisdom