So I was sitting in my office one day with a teen who is involved in our High School A Capella group, Marak Hayom ( Soup of the Day). We were discussing their upcoming repertoire for the year and I asked if she’d heard this version of Hashem Melech by the Y-Studs A Capella group. …
During the High Holidays, I enjoy looking at the kahal (community) gathered. I clearly recall how I felt during my first Rosh Hashana at Beth El and how many strangers were before me. Over many years I have been invited into so many people’s lives. In quiet moments on the bimah, I reflect on the …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. This year feels like a Sukkah Wash-Out… but it didn’t always rain. Below is …
By Robin Jacobson. On Simchat Torah, we reach the end of the Torah and begin reading it anew. The rabbis promise that each year’s reading offers new insights as our life experience broadens. Is it similarly true, I wonder, that remarks our parents made take on new meaning over time? And is there something a …
Congregational Singing It’s the “it phrase” for Hazzanim looking to get a good job out of school and the trend that veteran Cantors have needed to embrace in order to stay relevant. It’s the title of a book by Joey Weisenberg, the musical director of Kehilat Hadar, a vibrant spiritual community in Manhattan. It’s also …
By Robin Jacobson. “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” –The Lorax by Dr. Seuss According to tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the birthday celebration of Creation. In one rabbinic tale, God takes Adam on a tour of the Garden of Eden, proudly pointing out its natural splendors and admonishing, “Do not …
Throughout the Torah, the Israelites are reminded “you know the feelings of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 23:9) Thirty-six times in the Torah and throughout our rituals, we are reminded of our ancestors’ hardships in Egypt. These reminders are prompts for us to extend kindness and welcome others …
One of my favorite places in all of Washington, D.C. is the Library of Congress. My first visit was in 1981 and it has been a recurring joy and fascination for me ever since. While on sabbatical a number of years ago, I chose to immerse myself within the riches of the Library’s Hebraic Section. …
And now for something completely different…. A reflection on the High Holidays and a new RH 2nd night Mindfulness Service. The High Holidays. The pinnacle of our yearly davening experience. It is the moment when thousands of us gather to offer our prayers to God with a communal magnitude that only happens 2 or 3 …
I am writing this blog from Syracuse, NY. I am not visiting the Carrier Dome or participating in the 2018 US Bowling Congress Championship (yes, that is actually a thing taking place in Syracuse). I am in the midst of a road trip visiting baseball stadiums large and small. It is my chance to unplug …
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