Posts Tagged ‘unique torah’

unique torah

May 14, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 683: It’s Not the Programs, It’s the People

Dear Hevreh, "Investors bet on people, not on business plans, because they know successful people will find a way to be successful." - Ed Nicoll, self-made multi-millionaire Dear Hevreh, What makes a successful community? It's not the programs we run or the funds we raise, it's the people who participate and see the activities of the community as an extension of their own stories and their personal desires, values, and ambitions that make up their Unique Torah. People won't invest or participate because of the program, they will invest and participate because of the people behind the program. There are so many wonderful people, caring people, honest and hardworking people who are invested deeply in our community. As we seek to grow our community,[...]

Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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unique torah

March 21, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 629: Repeating Shabbat

(3/21/14)   I don't know about you but there aren't many ways we can top last Homecoming Shabbat. The excitement, the energy, the food, the fun, it's hard to replicate what took nearly a year to create.    But that's ok, because Shabbat doesn't need replication; Shabbat just needs to be repeated.   Every week is full of different experiences and different adventures in our lives. Some are good, some are bad, some are indifferent, some are exciting, but each one is unique and adds another layer to the stories of our lives. Shabbat comes at the end of each week to help us process and appreciate the story we just added that week to our unique life experience, to our unending Unique Torah.   So come share[...]

Category : Homecoming Weekend Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
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unique torah

January 31, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 580: Torah Can Only Be Acquired In Community

(1/31/14)  As we enter into another Shabbat, another opportunity to spend time together and learn together in community, I want to share a simple thought from the Talmud about the meaning of community:   אין התורה נקנית אלא בחבורה (ברכות סג:) Eyn ha-Torah nikneit ela b'havurah (B'rakhot 63b) The knowledge of Torah can only be acquired in a community (Tractate B'rakhot 63b)   There is something unique about the knowledge and secrets embedded in the Torah that, according to this teaching, they can only be revealed when we learn it together. Yes, learning Torah is a fascinating intellectual exercise for the individual, but it becomes something more, something larger, when we open ourselves to hearing the interpretations of other lovers of Torah. And if Torah learning is the foundation[...]

Category : Homecoming Weekend Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
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unique torah

December 31, 2013
By bethmordecai
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DAY 549: Stories and Shtickle

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
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unique torah

November 4, 2013
By bethmordecai
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DAY 492: Organizing Through Stories

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
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unique torah

October 1, 2013
By bethmordecai
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DAY 458: Numbers, Holidays, and Crafting a Special Sauce

Dear Hevreh, On Kol Nidre, I challenged our community to build something special that will last. Yet if we are truly going to build something special then throughout this process we must identify the ingredients that will go into our "special sauce." Identifying these ingredients will require opportunities for us to come together on an individual and communal basis to share our Jewish passions with one another, which means that one of the key indicators for knowing that we are on our way to crafting our special sauce is how successful we are at coming together and showing up at schul. Enter Exhibit A...Holiday attendance. I'm not talking about the High Holidays, but rather the joyous holidays of Sukkot, Sh'mini Atzeret, and Simhat[...]

Category : Rabbi's Journal Sh'mini Atzeret Simhat Torah Sukkot Yom Kippur
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unique torah

July 26, 2013
By bethmordecai
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Parashat Eikev (עקב) — More Than Just Us

2013/5773 (Triennial III) -- More Than Just Us (PART I) Every day we learn more about life. The experiences we have, the teachings that we gain all amount to the unique oral Torah that each one of us carries along, and it is by seeing life through the lens of that unique Torah which gives us the ability to understand the nature of reality. Reality is thus through the eyes of the beholder.    Yet, aren't there moments when we become aware of the limitations of our vision? Aren't there opportunities for us to see reality as something more, as something greater than what we experience in our own individual lives? These are the questions that we will investigate today through[...]

Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class
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unique torah

July 2, 2012
By bethmordecai
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DAY 2 — Reflection on Wisdom

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
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unique torah

July 1, 2012
By bethmordecai
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DAY 1 — Introduction from Rabbi Saks

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
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