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Judaism & Earth Day

04/15/2025 11:57:09 AM

Apr15

Beth Schafer

This past week, many of us at our seders recited the blessing over karpas, or, “fruit of the earth,” often represented by parsley. And, 6 months ago, many of us spent time in a sukkah so that we could be more in touch with our environment and engage with our fall harvest holiday. A few weeks from now we will read in the Torah how it is not only humans that are commanded to celebrate Shabbat, but every seven...Read more...

Build. Back. Better

04/09/2025 09:00:55 AM

Apr9

Rabbi Natan Trief

"Living in this region has always been 95% heaven and 5% hell.” As we walked through the beautiful streets of Kibbutz Be’eri, our host, Nieve Higgins, shared this often-repeated sentence since October 7th. The gates of the kibbutz are still guarded by the army, and outside visitors are not allowed inside. They made an exception for us because of the special partnership that Temple Sinai has created with this storied...Read more...

Show Up

04/01/2025 07:54:18 AM

Apr1

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

Let’s be honest: Our Torah portion this week, Vayikra, as Rabbi Ron Segal once told a student, is a bit of a “snoozer.”

The Book of Exodus gave us liberation, revolution, thunder on the mountain; Numbers will give us drama, rebellion, even talking animals. But Leviticus? Leviticus gives us... skin conditions, grain offerings, and the priestly equivalent of a cookbook.

But buried in all that procedural holiness is...Read more...

Our Greatness Weakness Can Be Our Greatest Strength

03/26/2025 08:15:13 AM

Mar26

Rabbi Sam Trief

One of my favorite memories from my junior year abroad was dining at The BlackOut Restaurant,  just outside Tel Aviv.

BlackOut is one of the world's few completely dark restaurants, where diners eat in total darkness. The absence of sight enhances the other senses, making flavors, textures, and aromas more intense.

Beyond offering a unique culinary experience, BlackOut also exemplifies Tel Aviv’s reputation for social...Read more...

A Vision of Eden

03/19/2025 10:34:51 AM

Mar19

Rabbi Ron Segal

The safari in South Africa from which our family returned earlier this week was easily the most spectacular and memorable trip we have ever taken. In the months prior, countless people shared that their family’s safari vacation was the “best trip they had ever taken,” so we admittedly went with high hopes and expectations. They were exceeded in every way possible. The safari experience was awesome, awe-inspiring, and also a profound...Read more...

Stand With Us & Vote Reform

03/12/2025 12:16:13 PM

Mar12

Rabbi Sam Trief

On the tragic morning of October 7th, the Kapshiter family was simply driving home from a routine road trip—from Ashkelon to Be’er Sheva—when they were ambushed and murdered by Hamas terrorists. Yania and Dina, along with their children, Aline (8) and Eitan (5), were brutally taken from this world.

As their grieving families sought to lay them to rest together, the...Read more...

All It Takes is A Single Small Flame

03/03/2025 11:47:19 AM

Mar3

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

A few years ago, a rabbi visited a prison to lead a Chanukah service. As he lit the menorah, one of the inmates whispered, “Rabbi, this is the first time I’ve seen a candle in years.” The prison prohibited open flames, but for this one sacred night, they made an exception. The man stared at the flickering light, his face a mix of awe and longing. “I forgot how much light one small flame can bring,” he said.

This week’s...Read more...

Build Bridges of Care & Understanding

02/24/2025 09:52:13 AM

Feb24

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

This week’s Torah portion, Terumah, invites us into a sacred act of creation and contribution. In preparing the materials for the portable sanctuary, our ancestors demonstrated that every offering, when given with heartfelt intention, became a building block for a dwelling of the Divine. These contributions were not just physical gifts; they were acts of love that transformed ordinary resources into a holy sanctuary—a tangible symbol of...Read more...

Love & Words of Blessing

02/20/2025 12:12:29 PM

Feb20

Rabbi Ron Segal

When we pray for something from the depths of our souls, desperately hoping that certain news won’t come, as the very thing we feared materializes before us we are left to grapple with a profound sense of loss and sorrow. Our hearts are broken by the devastating news of the deaths of Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas. While acknowledging the ongoing tragedy of the 1200+ people murdered on October 7, the hundreds of IDF soldiers who have fallen...Read more...

A Prayer for Children

02/20/2025 10:12:37 AM

Feb20

Your Clergy Team

Dear Friends,

Our hearts are shattered alongside yours as we mourn the unfathomable loss of Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas. There are no words that can make sense of such a tragedy, no explanations that can ease the horrors of the way we lost them.

We find solace in each other, and in the unbreakable strength of our Sinai Community.

Shiri, Kfir and Ariel’s laughter, presence, and...Read more...

A House of Support

02/12/2025 08:49:43 AM

Feb12

Beth Schafer

A synagogue is known by three names: Beit Knesset, a House of Gathering, Beit Mikdash, a House of Learning, and Beit Tefilah, a House of Prayer. We have all experienced Temple Sinai in each of these ways at some time or another. Did you know that we are also a House of Support? While our clergy team is always available to support you during your best and most challenging times of life, we have members dedicated to supporting you as...Read more...

A Time to Learn, Reflect and Celebrate

02/05/2025 10:23:13 AM

Feb5

Rabbi Sam Trief

What is the purpose of the weekly Shabbat to Shabbat column? Some weeks it’s a chance to share Torah. Other times, it’s an opportunity to explore Jewish commentary on our world. At times, we focus on sacred texts, and at others, we highlight the incredible opportunities provided to us by Sinai and the larger Atlanta Jewish community.

This Shabbat, I want to take a moment to do the...Read more...

How Are You Using Your Freedom?

01/27/2025 08:42:09 AM

Jan27

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

Freedom is a complicated thing. In Parashat Bo, we see the Israelites on the cusp of liberation after generations of slavery. But it doesn’t come with a simple snap of the fingers. Instead, it’s a messy process, punctuated by plagues, Pharaoh’s stubbornness, and the Israelites’ own hesitations. And yet, in the midst of this chaos, the Torah introduces something remarkable: the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a...Read more...

Growth Begins in Discomfort

01/21/2025 11:34:02 AM

Jan21

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

Life is filled with moments when we feel inadequate, uncertain, or overwhelmed by the tasks in front of us. Whether it’s navigating a career change, mending a relationship, or simply trying to make it through the day, we all encounter times when we doubt our ability to rise to the challenge.

In Parashat Vaera, Moses is tasked with leading an entire nation to freedom. But he doesn’t begin as a confident leader. He questions...Read more...

Support Our Los Angeles Fires Disaster Relief

01/15/2025 10:36:52 AM

Jan15

Rabbi Ron Segal

For more than a week now, we have watched with an aching sense of helplessness the devastation of biblical proportions caused by the Greater Los Angeles fires. Along with the tragic loss of life (24 individuals as of this writing), more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, a synagogue, and other structures have burnt to the ground since last Tuesday when this catastrophe began. Included among the devastation are the homes of close to 400...Read more...

Hope is a Choice

01/01/2025 08:16:15 AM

Jan1

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

As we stand in these opening days of the new year, we find ourselves reflecting on the moments that shaped us in the past and looking toward the promise of what is to come. Jewish tradition teaches us that each year offers a new beginning, an opportunity for renewal and transformation. This moment is one of profound hope as we are reminded that no matter what challenges we’ve faced, to some degree, even if only in mindset and...Read more...

Spread the Light

12/24/2024 09:22:12 AM

Dec24

Rabbbi Natan Trief

At times, it can feel as though life is a zero-sum game. We may be led to believe--whether directly or indirectly--that we must compete for life’s finite resources. Judaism, however, teaches us something very different. 

One of the most beautiful and instructive things about candles is that they can spread the flame to other candles without diminishing their own light. During this Festival of Lights, when the days are the...Read more...

We Come From Dreamers

12/18/2024 08:07:51 AM

Dec18

Beth Schafer

A few weeks ago, we read in the Torah the story of Jacob. He was on his way to reunite with his brother, Esau, with whom he parted under terrible circumstances. Jacob feared Esau and the possible retribution awaiting him. Jacob laid down to sleep using a rock as a pillow. That night he had a fantastic dream of angels ascending and descending a ladder. One interpretation of that dream is that angels begin here on earth. In Hebrew, the word for...Read more...

Together We Heal

12/12/2024 08:38:12 AM

Dec12

Rabbi Sam Trief

This past week has been profoundly heart-wrenching for the Atlanta Jewish community, as we mourn the tragic death of Ari Manuel “Manny” Pargman.

While I did not have the privilege of knowing Manny personally, I am incredibly moved by the heartfelt stories and tributes shared by members of our Sinai family. His death is a devastating reminder that members of our community are silently...Read more...

We Must Climb

12/02/2024 07:56:54 AM

Dec2

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

Our Torah begins with our ancestor, Jacob, on the run, an outlaw from his family and his people. Exhausted, he came to a certain place and rested there for the night, dreaming a vivid dream of a ladder reaching to heaven. As he awakened from his dream, he exclaimed, “Surely god is present in this place, and I did not know it!” (Genesis 28:11-16).

The ancient text speaks to us today as it surely did to our ancestors, and it compels...Read more...

Step Out of Your Bubble

11/20/2024 11:26:47 AM

Nov20

Rabbi Sam Trief

Last week, for the first time in a long while, I stepped out of my “Bubble.” While I love my Bubble and the amazing people and places that fill it, I realized that I had been walking around with my eyes closed for many months.

With Janie Fishman, the lay leader who leads Temple Sinai’s refugee efforts, we drove 16.7 miles to what felt like the other side of the planet. We drove to...Read more...

Adjusting to the Dark

11/14/2024 09:49:29 AM

Nov14

Beth Schafer

While many of us might have relished in getting that extra hour of sleep when we rolled the clocks back a couple of weeks ago, there are many (or more) of us who are quite averse to spending more of our waking time in the dark. Without the stimulation of daylight that nourished us through the summer months and with nighttime closing in often before the work of our days is done, it is easy to feel cut off from the world. Where outdoor...Read more...

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

11/06/2024 10:34:08 AM

Nov6

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

As we prepare for this first Shabbat in the aftermath of a divisive election, we recognize that though we are one community, in many ways, we feel quite distant from one another. For some, there is relief, joy, and a sense of hope. For others, there is disappointment, fear, and confusion. These emotions are valid and they reflect the depth of care and investment we have in our shared community, our country, and our future.

It is in...Read more...

Be a Modern-Day Noah

10/28/2024 12:42:40 PM

Oct28

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

In our Torah portion this week, we encounter Noah and the ark that he built to preserve life. It’s a great story that resonates with kids who imagine large boats with smiling animals of all shapes and sizes. It is a story that should resonate with adults as well, for in the words of the portion comes a challenge to us all. Though the rainbow comes along to symbolize that God will never again destroy the world with a flood, I believe...Read more...

Another Year of Torah

10/23/2024 10:07:12 AM

Oct23

Beth Schafer

Our Holy Days are now behind us and we have been launched into a New Year with a clean slate. It is not a coincidence that we also begin again the reading of Torah. This annual cycle of reading from creation to redemption to revelation through the five books mirrors how we, too, move through life.

We are creators. Genesis reminds us that we are our life’s designers. Every time we speak or send a text or an email, every time we...Read more...

Rejoice in Sukkot

10/14/2024 09:49:29 AM

Oct14

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

As I watch the devastating pictures from North Carolina and Florida, I am reminded again of the power and fury of nature. Amidst the destruction and the heartbreak, there is an understanding that begins to emerge when considering as well the rhythm of Jewish time. Having completed the towering days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we find ourselves presently celebrating the festival of Sukkot with all of its informality and...Read more...

Responding to External Need & the Call for Personal Growth at Yom Kippur

10/10/2024 08:15:57 AM

Oct10

Rabbi Ron Segal

As we prepare to observe the most solemn and sacred day in the Jewish year tomorrow evening and Saturday, it is admittedly difficult to focus on the important, personal work of teshuva that Yom Kippur lays before us. Serious and catastrophic issues call out for our attention from almost every direction:

Our hearts unquestionably remain in the East as Israel continues her battle against terrorists and enemies whose sole mission is...Read more...

The Last Shabbat of the Year

09/24/2024 02:35:09 PM

Sep24

Beth Schafer

This week is the last Shabbat of 5784. This past year has been such a difficult one for us as a people. I remember when I first put the dog tag around my neck with prayers for the hostages in captivity, it felt like I was wearing a bowling ball around my neck. Heavy and inescapable, the weight of the plight of the hostages and all Jewish people pressed on my heart. While we have spent this month of Elul looking in the rearview mirror of...Read more...

Focus on Loving Yourself, Imperfections & All

09/18/2024 09:44:07 AM

Sep18

Rabbi Sam Trief

Last Shabbat, during services, I shared a poem titled “Tishrei” by Rabbi Osnat Eldar.  Rosh HaShanah falls on the first day of the month of Tishrei. I've found myself revisiting this poem throughout the week and would love to share it with you here as well.

Tishrei

The seasons did not change on time this year

But...Read more...

Take Two

09/12/2024 08:15:36 AM

Sep12

Rabbi Ron Segal

Here are a handful of the countless expressions with the word “two”:

Put two and two together Two shakes of a lamb’s tail A bicycle built for two The lesser of two evils Hit two targets with one arrow Take two tablets and call me in the morning Two sides of the same coin It takes two to Torah

Rightfully, you’ve likely called me on that last expression, which, of course, concludes with “tango,” not Torah. After...Read more...

Wed, April 16 2025 18 Nisan 5785