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Yom 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…

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Erev 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…

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Rosh 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…

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Rosh 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…

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Erev 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…

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Our 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….

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Families 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…

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Animals 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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For Everything There is Time Under The Heavens: A Time to Speak, and a Time to Remain Silent

This week holds a very powerful place in the heart of almost every Israeli: it is the week between the Holocaust Memorial, Yom Ha’Shoa, and Yom Ha’Zikaron, Memorial Day for slain Israeli soldiers and victims of terror attacks. Both commemoration…

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March & April Bulletin

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Live From Israel, It’s TBT!

Highlight photos of Rabbi Meeka’s 2018 tour of Israel.

Select “Learn More” for details…

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Va’era: What if this time we are the pharaohs?

Rabbi/Cantor Meeka Simerly

What if we are the pharaohs?

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Exploring Israel Tour with Rabbi Meeka

Rabbi Meeka’s tour of Israel is scheduled for February 18, 2018 through March 1, 2018. It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience Israel’s ancient history and modern culture first hand.

Rabbi Meeka is hosting an informational meeting about the tour on Monday, September 25, 7:30pm, at TBT.

Select the headline or photo above to view full details, prices, and itinerary.

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