Rabbi's Blog

Happy July Folks, Before I dive into July, I’d like to spend a quick moment to look back at last month. At the end of June, we gathered to celebrate Rey Sarnow’s B’nai Mitzvah. I want to thank the warm support this entire congregation showed the Sarnow family; kol hakavod! We are all so proud of Rey’s success. Mazal tov!! As promised, I am excited to talk about the warm weather. Finally, we have reached the pinnacle of summer. July has arrived which means BBQs, fireworks, be

Happy June Temple Beth Israel, Hurray, it appears as though summer, at least officially, has arrived! Wherever summer travels may take you, I would like to encourage a sense of curiosity to explore the local Jewish community. Regardless if you’re visiting Jerusalem, Spain, or Hawaii, I always find it fascinating to partake in a local Shabbat service. I learn so much about the various Jewish customs and traditions when I take the time to meet the indigenous Jewish population.

Happy May Temple Beth Israel, With Memorial Day parades and barbeques, May is the unofficial start to the summer season. In May, we also often celebrate Shavout, which marks the unofficial end to the major Jewish holiday calendar season, as it is the last of the shalosh regalim; the three pilgrimage festivals (along with Sukkot and Passover) when farmers in ancient Israel brough their first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. On Shavout we also read the Ten Commandments to com

Hooray, we have finally reached March, which means spring is right around the corner! After what has been a brutal winter, the coldest in recent memory, we can set our sights to warmer days, more sunshine, the blossoming of flowers, and hopefully less winter weather. At the beginning of the month, we turn the clocks forward and after a few months without major Jewish holidays, we begin to awaken from the festival-less doldrums. As we turn the calendar to March, we usher in t

February is an odd month on the calendar. While there aren’t any major Jewish holidays, the month is filled with humorous attempts by humanity to distract us from the fact that February still feels like the dead of winter. Groundhog Day: A Quirky Tradition Groundhog Day is the quintessential “weather-related” holiday. The entire event focuses on whether a rotund rodent, known as Punxsutawney Phil, is frightened enough by his own shadow to remain burrowed for another six weeks

Happy March Temple Beth Israel, As we turn the calendar to March, we usher in the Hebrew months of Adar , followed by Adar II ; a time according to our rabbis, when we increase our joy each day. As the days pass, we focus our hearts and our souls in preparation for the celebration known as Purim . The Jewish New Year and the Hebrew calendar, Rosh Hashanah , don’t offer the same rowdy, ruckus and light-hearted affair that the Gregorian calendar allows for on Dec.31st/Jan.1st.