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!
April 17, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
(4/17/15),
This week is not an easy week for the Jewish people. Yom Hashoah uGvurah (Day of Holocaust Remembrance and Resistance) is a solemn occasion in which we recall the chaos of the murder of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis. As I expressed during the Yom Hashoah commemoration at the JCC on Wednesday night, there is no good or easy way to explain or understand the chaos. All we can do is engage in rituals -- candle lighting, readings, music, and storytelling -- to help make some order out of the chaos, to help find the light amidst the darkness.
The juxtaposition of light and darkness was not only seen through the smiling faces of clergy[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : #NeverAgain holocaust israel JCC of Middlesex light perth amboy rabbi rabbi's journal Yom Haatzmaut Yom Hashoah
June 6, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Parashat B'ha-alot'khah 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Does God Need Light?
At the beginning of this week's Torah portion, we learn how the Israelites (and particularly the Levites) are instructed to light the m'norah in the Temple. But why is that light there? Do the people need the light to see in the Temple? Or does God need the light of the people? Or is there another purpose to this light altogether! Come join us for this fascinating conversation about the usage of light in our sacred spaces.
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : b'ha-alot'khah behaalotecha candles God light m'norah menorah online learning online parashah class parasha parsha rabeinu bachya rashi weekly torah portion בהעלותך
January 3, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes that Shabbat is a palace in time, a physical abode for the spirit in the hidden reality of time. In short, it's the home for our souls to feel safe and secure from the ravages of the world. This security is not brought on by by being surrounded by the creature comforts of physical things, but by being immersed in the aura of the spiritual realm in which our souls experience the light of God's love for all of creation. That godly light, which our souls transfer to our temporal bodies on moments like Shabbat, not only remind us of God's watchful presence in our lives but helps us experience God in a personal, intimate, and[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : abraham joshua heschel God light palace in time rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat message spirit