Temple Beth TikvahCategory: Rabbi’s Blog
Before Shabbat, Reflections on Our Holocaust Remembrance Service
This past Tuesday our Temple Beth Tikvah community came together to commemorate Yom Ha’Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was the first time since my arrival at TBT, that all three congregations (Shomrei Torah, Chabad, and Temple Beth Tikvah), along with…
Read MoreWe Stand With You
To our Muslim friends of the Peace Island Institute and DoNotHate Foundation: my heart goes out to you, and we, your Jewish brothers and sisters are standing with you in support. We will not let this cowardice and despicable act…
Read MoreRegarding Today’s Shooting Tragedy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
We are saddened and horrified by the hate crime and act of terrorism that happened this Shabbat Morning at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims, the staff and members of…
Read MoreYom Kippur: Ultimate Forgiveness
“What would you do if you woke up one morning, to find a huge swastika spray-painted on your garage or front door? How would you react?” That was a question posted in one of the rabbinic list-serve discussion boards to…
Read MoreErev Yom Kippur: #MeToo
In the more traditional and Orthodox prayer books, there is a paragraph that Jewish men are supposed to recite every morning. It declares the following: “Baruch atah Adonai E.M.Ha.O she’lo asani eesha,” “Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of…
Read MoreRosh Ha’shana, Day 2 Sermon: 9/11
I was just sitting down to drink my morning coffee back in California, trying to wake up at 6:00 am, when my sister called me from Israel—unusually early. “I wonder if she got the time difference wrong again?” I thought…
Read MoreRosh Ha’shana, Day 1 Sermon: Shul
I’d like to wake you all up this morning with a funny short story I’ve recently read on Facebook: “A man decides to stop using social media. Instead he’s determined to make friends without the benefit of Facebook, but still…
Read MoreErev Rosh Ha’shana Sermon: God
“Much have I learned from my teachers, more from my colleagues, but most from my students,” says the Talmud. As a rabbi and teacher, my students often ask questions that stump me. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE it! Being…
Read MoreOur First Paws Shabbat
We LOVE the outdoors at Temple Beth Tikvah! Friday 6/29 we celebrated Shabbat Under the Stars. Thank you Sue W. and Emily S. for overseeing this evening! And today, Saturday 7/7 we celebrated our “Furry Friends” with Paws 🐾 Shabbat….
Read MoreFamilies Belong Together Event: Time Change
Due to severe weather conditions tomorrow (it’s going to be above the 100’s here in NJ!), the organizers of the Families Belong Together event scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00, have rescheduled the event to 11:00 am. That means I won’t be…
Read MoreResponding to Current Events in our Borders
Our Jewish tradition calls on us to welcome the stranger…
Read MoreIn Their Honor
Memorial Day may not be a Jewish holiday per se, but the concept of remembering and honoring our brave military people who risk, and sometimes give, their lives in service to the rest of us is certainly a Jewish value….
Read MorePrayer, Music, and Kabbalah Dvar Torah, Shabbat Muzikali
My short teaching on this Shabbat is 2 fold: tonight I’ll share with you some thoughts and quotes from the world of prayer, the world of song and Jewish Mysticism. In a way, prayer is a song: it’s a song…
Read MoreAnimals Teach Us the Meaning of “Oneness.”
Parshat Emor, 5/4/18 While writing this sermon, I had in mind our 4th Graders who co-lead the service with the guidance of their teachers, Ms. Beth Julie, and our educator, Ms. Marian Kleinman. They did such an amazing job: everyone’s…
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