Blog Archives

The Sign on Your Forehead (P. Tetzaveh)

2/22/2026

Know it or not, each of us wears a sign on our forehead.

It tells others who we are. Even more, it tells others who they are.

We'd all be far better off if we remembered the sign we wear on our foreheads.

Commanding Joy When the World is a Mess? (P. Terumah)

2/15/2026

Nobody needs me to confirm that vast swaths of our world burn like a raging dumpster fire.

Judaism is about reality-based reality. We do not pretend away trouble or turn a blind eye. We certainly do not fiddle while Rome burns.

Yet even so – precisely so – the Jewish calendar encodes a radical and wise spiritual practice starting now, linked to this week's Torah portion, that at first blush can seem oddly un-real and ill-fitting when the world is a dumpster fire.

The practice is one of Judaism's sometimes overlooked superpowers: elevating joy amidst all.

Justice and a World Blind and Toothless (P. Mishpatim)

2/8/2026

In a world of passive aggression, physical and emotional aggression, and mounting societal outrage, there can be instinctive allure to Torah's "eye for an eye" maxim about justice.

Except it doesn't mean what the millennia made it out to mean. What principles should guide us in addressing bad behavior? When – if ever – does "like" merit "like"?

What You Missed: Mid-Winter 2026 Edition

2/8/2026

Shabbat services – Our new model alternates between upbeat services with Torah, and more contemplative experiences. Our January 23 Shabbat featured Rabbi Rachel Barenblat and Torah at the precipice of Egyptian liberation. Our February 6 contemplative service began with a community dinner, then a Tu B'shevat-themed ascent including Cantor Debbie Friedman's "You Are the One" (2005) – a poignant setting of Rabbi Nahman of Breslov's "Prayer to Be Alone" (1801).

Learning – Our Liturgy Series is completing the evening service: next up is the morning service in preparation for b'not mitzvah of Nancy Heller and Sherrill Cropper. In SoulSpa we reached Sinai: next up are society rules and spiritual mysteries that continue to make us "us."

"The Way They Will Walk" (P. Yitro)

2/1/2026

When I was a Harvard graduate student lo many years ago, person-sized Biblical words about law looked down on me every day from atop one of the academic buildings.

They look down on me still – and on you, and on our country.

The Sign on Your Forehead (P. Tetzaveh)

Commanding Joy When the World is a Mess? (P. Terumah)

Justice and a World Blind and Toothless (P. Mishpatim)

What You Missed: Mid-Winter 2026 Edition

"The Way They Will Walk" (P. Yitro)

Categories

Archives

Mailing Address

Worship

Contact Us