From the Bima Blog

There is a beautiful teaching in Pirkei Avot, a book of wisdom found in the Talmud. Im ein kemach, ein Torah; Im ein Torah, ein kemach  – Without bread, there is no Torah; without Torah, there is no bread.” This instruction from our ancient tradition reminds us that when people do not have enough to eat, the work of Torah – of spiritual sustenance and connected community – is impossible. And that it is our responsibility to help...Read more...

Yesterday, we gathered in sacred community to observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year – a solemn and yes, joyful day to reflect on our lives and renew our purpose. Our sanctuary was full and vibrant. We felt the beautiful strength of community as we prayed together and recommitted to Judaism’s central values of compassion, justice and love. The spiritual high note of this connection still lingers for many of...Read more...

It is hard to find the right words to share today about Wednesday night’s violent murder of Sarah Milgrom and Yaron Lischinsky, staff at the Israeli Embassy, while they were outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. They were attending a Jewish event, one focused on Israeli and Palestinian cooperation to help bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. It should not have cost them their lives. 

From the reports coming out of Washington,...Read more...

As Passover comes to a close, the story of the Exodus from Egypt, an epic memory of standing up to tyrants and escaping enslavement, remains on our hearts and minds. Jewish tradition includes this story of redemption, of fighting injustice and celebrating freedom in every prayer service when we sing Mi Chamocha. But how do we moderns hold this collective Passover memory alongside the current events we are witnessing? How can we...Read more...

Keep an eye out for our new, semi-regular clergy message in the Friday Shabbat Shalom e-newsletter! We'll be sharing thoughts, teachings, book recommendations, and whatever else may be on our collective minds (it probably will not be weekly.) We hope you enjoy these glimpses into our perspectives. It might be wise, it might be witty, and it's always from the heart. We hope our words will comfort you, amuse you, inspire you, and connect with...Read more...

Kol Nidre 5785 - October 11, 2024

Watch Rabbi Abrasley's sermon on Youtube

Aaron had not spoken to his sister Miriam for almost three years. There’d been a tense family situation, which involved their aging parents who somehow had forgotten to save enough money for retirement. As the situation grew worse, the siblings disagreed about the best path forward, and then came the argument to end all...Read more...

Erev Rosh Hashanah 5785 - October 2, 2024

Watch Rabbi Abrasley's Sermon on Youtube

One summer, at the dawning of my adolescence, my mother, not an especially religious person, decided that I did not have enough Jewish friends. Summer camp was her answer to a problem I was certain did not exist. 

During that car ride to camp, I attempted every obnoxious play in the pre-teen book to get them to turn around. Nothing...Read more...

Their Stories, My Stories: Reflections from Israel, January 2024

My heart is heavy tonight. Raw and broken. This is the place from which my words tonight are shared. Words that are not yet complete. Thoughts that drift along an uncertain line. But I need to share them. And I need you to hear them.

When the email invitation to join a solidarity mission to Israel in early January came into my inbox, the answer was an instant...Read more...

To our Temple Shalom Community, 

Our hearts hurt as we continue to watch the unfolding events in Israel. We hope you received our email yesterday. It remains difficult to process this horrible terrorist attack on our beloved spiritual homeland.

In times of great difficulty, it helps to stand...Read more...

Yom Kippur 5784/2023

Watch Rabbi Berry's YK Sermon

This summer my family and I traveled to France. I was having a great time until I developed a headache that would not go away. When I found myself squinting in front of the Mona Lisa - she’s small but not THAT small - I realized I had a problem. $32 and an appointment with a French ophthalmologist later...Read more...

Rosh HaShanah Evening 5784 - September 15, 2023

Watch Rabbi Berry's RH Sermon

I remember it like it was yesterday - I was 17 - driving alone for the first time in my parent’s old Pontiac Grand Prix - I sped down the highway, windows open, singing loudly as music blasted from the speakers. It was a moment of pure delight. 

Of course there's more to the story and it may have involved a tow...Read more...

Please click here to watch Shira's speech from Yom Kippur.

Picture this: you’ve been inside all day listening to rain patter on the roof of your warm, dry house. It’s been pouring for hours, but slowly and surely, the rain is letting up. You decide to step outside to see for yourself, and it’s true! The rain has stopped! What is left is the beautiful image of light returning to the dewy grass once again, streaming through the...Read more...

Rosh Hashanah, 5783

Please click here to Rabbi Berry's sermon from Rosh Hashanah.

Last year, Micah got the homework assignment to interview an older relative…You know the one. Get the family history and report back. So naturally, I assumed he’d be asking my dad the same Ellis Island questions I asked my great grandmother. But boy was I wrong. It wasn’t that kind of interview at all…Micah's assignment was to ask my...Read more...

Nitzavim D’var Torah, Yom Kippur 2021


Last week, in the Times of Israel, my colleague Rabbi Rachel Pass publicly shared the story of her abortion. “I took my pregnancy test on...the first night of the month of Cheshvan.” [It was positive]. I prayed. I read every piece of Jewish literature on abortion...I could find. I made a pros and cons list. I cried on the phone with my mom. Ultimately, I made the choice using the...Read more...

Rosh Hashanah 5782
 

It was a gorgeous April day. The family was gathered together at last; they’d postponed this moment for months. Three little girls sat on the grass in their new spring dresses holding stones they’d painted with the word, “love.” Someone was playing, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on the ukulele.1 There was hugging and crying; laughing. It felt like a great darkness had lifted. We had...Read more...