Don't Trust the Internet!
08/16/2018 01:39:30 PM
A recent Pew survey revealed just how little trust there is among the millions of people who use the internet daily. A whopping 4% indicated that they do indeed “trust the internet a lot.” That's not a mistake. Four percent! And if I asked you the question, “Do you trust the internet?” directly, you would more than likely hold your own reservations. This seems obvious enough. The preponderance of...Read more...
The Place Where We Are Right
07/26/2018 01:57:46 PM
This poem is resonating in my consciousness these days and I want to share it with you all. We're living in times where love and doubts are screaming and shouting for justice. These words are a sobering reminder of what our goal should be and what are the consequences of a relentless pursuit of truth. I hope these words guide you as they are for me this Shabbat.
The Place Where We Are...Read more...
Kosher Cheeseburgers and Treif Rabbis
05/31/2018 03:45:26 PM
Have you seen this? Food engineers have created something amazing. It looks like meat, tastes like meat, and you can serve it as a cheeseburger. Best of all? It's...Read more...
Be Holy!
04/26/2018 10:54:20 AM
Of all the ways that we can define Jewish identity, from birthright to good feelings, from pursuing justice to devoted ritual practice, being Jewish is the most elusive. I have to laugh when, over the years, I have heard many say to me, “Funny, you don't look Jewish!” (I have blond-ish hair and blue-ish eyes. Apparently, this is not very Jew-ish.) Yes, this kind of thinking, that looking is like being, has been...Read more...
The Beauty of Holiness
03/15/2018 01:00:31 PM
What defines Jewish art and music? Is it a creative act fashioned by a Jew? Is it a style, a sense, a shape, a quality that feels Jewish? Is there is a certain sound " whether it is the high-pitched shrill of a clarinet or the delicate dance of a violin " that when you hear it you know it is Jewish?
When we walk down the halls of our synagogue we can experience many different forms of...Read more...
Are You for Real?
01/10/2018 04:50:03 PM
We've all seen the latest advertisements for phone gadgets allowing us to create avatars which mimic our speaking and facial expressions. They are so great! This fantastic feature is simply the next step in an ongoing evolution of artificial intelligence that in some way helps us connect and relate better with each other.
In truth, we've been playing this game for centuries. We've worn masks, stood on...Read more...
Pardon the Interruption
12/07/2017 12:25:21 PM
Fires this week are causing great damage to land and homes in the Southern California area. Several members of our Valley Beth Shalom community are displaced as the fire rages just a few miles from our synagogue home. Where there has been heartbreak, there is inspired heroism. Where there has been concern for the safety of the vulnerable among us, there is unflagging commitment to provide shelter,...Read more...
One at a Time
11/09/2017 12:41:48 PM
Once there was a young man strolling on the coastline on a late morning in the autumn. As he approached a stretch of shoreline he noticed hundreds of thousands of starfish washed up on the beach. Apparently changes in tidal patterns had forced this massive deposit of starfish the previous night. As he continued to walk closer to the starfish, he noticed in the distance the figure of an older gentleman gently lifting the...Read more...
Learning to Ask for Help (ROSH HASHANAH SERMON 2017/5778)
09/27/2017 04:51:39 PM
Rosh Hashanah Sermon 2017/5778
Benjamin Franklin is one of America's great heroes. He's the one to make popular the idea “From Rags to Riches.” A child of extreme poverty, he quickly became a success by literally turning the rags he once used for newspapers into paper currency - riches. The self-made man, the hero with humble beginnings, achieved the impossible. Benjamin Franklin, the shining face of...Read more...
Let's Go Build a Wall!
07/20/2017 12:03:20 PM
This year we will celebrate 70 years of statehood and national independence in the Land of Israel. It is a time to rejoice in the thousands of years old dream, “To be a free people, in our Land - Lihyot Am Chofshee B'Artzeinu,” as the words of Hatikvah proclaim. The unfolding drama of the State of Israel is focus of daily study and concern for us as it has been for millennia.
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Fri, April 19 2024
11 Nisan 5784
