By Rabbi Sam Yolen, Congregation Beth Israel Lebanon
Abraham Joshua Heshel, writing his book The Sabbath, presented an idea summed up as such: “It is not things that give meaning to time, but time that gives meaning to things.”
How much more is that true during a pandemic? When space i…
by Rabbi Sam Yolen, Congregation Beth Israel, Lebanon
“I’m sorry.” I hear the words drop out of me like rain from the sky. I don’t want to say them. Words of apology don’t come easy to me. Sometimes, when I say them, I don’t feel their weight when they roll off my lips. I just s…
By Rabbi Carl Choper, Temple Beth Shalom
Hezkiya taught (in Jeremiah 50:17): "Israel are scattered sheep" - why are Israel likened to a sheep? Just as a sheep, when hurt on its head or some other body part, all of its body parts feel it. So it is with Israel when one of them sins and ev…
by Rabbi Sam Yolen, Congregation Beth Israel (Lebanon)
This past year Congregation Beth Israel in Lebanon prioritized replacing its leaky roof with a brand new one. While any significant building cost can be a headache for board members tasked with the job, roofs are specifically notori…
This season, I’m not looking at the past, and speaking about the rough summer we have endured with mass shootings, church burnings, and the defacing of synagogues. I’m speaking about the future, and what we can do to ensure that we will have the opportunity to worship at our…
