Blog

Of the many opportunities afforded that make Temple Sinai an incredible congregation at which to work, that of global travel ranks toward the top of the list. In the 18 years that I have served as one of your rabbis, I have had the great joy of traveling locally with our youth to New York, Alabama, Charleston, Los Angeles, and Cincinnati, and I have traveled with adults and families internationally to Israel multiple times as well exploring...Read more...

Two thousand years ago the ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch (1st cen) wrote that the ship of the Athenian hero Theseus, long after his death, was kept in pristine condition by the people of Athens for centuries. Whenever a board decayed it was replaced, until eventually, nothing in the ship was original; every stick of wood had been replaced. This prompted Plutarch to ask, “Is it still the ship of Theseus, or is it a new one?”  A...Read more...

In the Torah verse made famous by Jewish singer and songwriter Debbie Friedman z”l, God says to Abraham: “Lech Lecha - to a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).

Many have interpreted this verse as a teaching to listen to our spirits, to explore new places and to journey into the unknown. Our understanding of this piece of Torah often encourages us to leave home. But as I study the verse now, all I can think about are the...Read more...

Dear Friends and Members of our Temple Sinai Community,

Our spirits are distraught and confidence unsettled as we watch the unfolding events in Israel in disbelief. The gravity and dimension of loss, destruction, and terrorism wrought by Hamas against Israeli citizens and soldiers are inconceivable and heartbreaking. As of this writing, over 700 Israelis have been murdered, the vast majority civilians. Over 2000 Israelis lie wounded,...Read more...

Coming off of our Holy Days, having been launched into a New Year with a clean slate, how perfect it is 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 choose to do...Read more...

As Yom Kippur, the holiest day on our calendar, approaches, we, your clergy team, are filled with humility and gratitude for the privilege of guiding you on this sacred journey of discovery and spiritual renewal. Yom Kippur is a time of deep reflection, introspection, and reconciliation – a day when we turn our hearts towards God and seek forgiveness for our shortcomings.

In the year that has passed since last we assembled for this...Read more...

Temple Sinai is engaged in a congregation-wide initiative that invites our entire membership to participate in a deep, and fascinating, exploration of what we are calling our Culture of Belonging (CoB).  Together we are seeking to understand what makes people feel connected to our synagogue community today and how we can evolve to sustain and deepen that connection in the years ahead. 

It...Read more...

How interesting it is to read Parashat Shoftim, with its emphasis on the establishment of six cities of refuge scattered in the Land of Israel, against the backdrop of the harrowing stories coming out of Maui.

The resonances between the ancient concept found in the Book of Deuteronomy and the contemporary humanitarian crisis stemming from environmental devastation in Maui – wildfires caused in part by drought conditions related to...Read more...

If you’ve sustained an injury, you can relate to how much your day-to-day functioning can be impaired. Whether it be loss of ambulation or an inability to hold or lift things, or just needing assistance to do everyday tasks, it’s so easy to take for granted how we get along because everything is working. This past month I drew the lucky straw and managed to get Covid followed by a wicked sinus infection, and the thing that became injured...Read more...

The commemoration of Tisha B’av has always struck a chord with me. Something about it has resonated, even though it isn’t prominently commemorated in Reform Jewish life.  

Tisha B’av is traditionally known as the most somber day on the Jewish calendar. On this day, observant Jews recite lamentations, fast and mourn the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem that occurred more than 2,000 years...Read more...

A conversation with family members many years ago concerned their particular Yom Kippur practice of attending services on Yom Kippur morning and then going out to lunch at the local country club. While different terminology was no doubt used, the discussion essentially focused on the concept and value of Klal Yisrael - the greater community of the Jewish people – and how/if our decisions and actions might impact that greater community. In...Read more...

I’ve always had a problem with rules. As a kid, I often found myself attempting to convince people in positions of authority to allow me to do something even though it was prohibited for everyone else. Rules seemed stifling and suffocating. Perhaps, then, it is poetic justice that I should become a rabbi, a spiritual leader of a faith that many claim is one of rules and laws. Indeed, we do have a lot of them. 

Yet, contrary to...Read more...

In November of 1969, the first Pride gathering happened in New York City. Building on the mantra of the black community who coined the term, “black is beautiful,” the LGBT (the abbreviation of the time) community coined the term “gay is good,” and a movement of being publicly proud of one’s sexual and gender identity stepped out onto the streets of America.

A designated month or parade does not fix the problems still with us...Read more...

I recall sitting with Florence Nathanson, of blessed memory, years ago after a Torah study. Florence was a member of Sinai, a regular at Torah study, and her comments were often among the more thoughtful week after week. And the week that I am recalling was no exception.

I had just finished teaching Torah study on the Priestly Blessing, words that we read in our portion this week. My Torah study had been a comparative study,...Read more...

We are making our way through the last week between Pesach and Shavuot and find ourselves beginning a new book of Torah. We know it best by its English name, Numbers, named for the census by which the book opens, but in Hebrew, it is known by the word Bamidbar, meaning the wilderness, or desert.

We are not the only faith tradition that centralizes the setting of the desert as part of its narrative. Jesus spends 40 days in the desert...Read more...