- Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
…man is clean of sin, the water tests his wife. At a time when a man is not free of sin, the water does not test his wife. Therefore, when adulterers increased in their numbers, the sota’s bitter waters ceased. This reading by the Gemara has answered both our questions while demonstrating for us the evolutionary nature of the halakha, the laws by which the mitzvot are applied. Verse 31 refers to the sota and her male partner assuming the ceremony h…
…gregation Beth El-Keser Israel was established in 2009 by Batsheva Labowe-Stoll, her parents Sara Labowe and Steven Stoll, and supported by family and friends, in order to help sustain the Congregation. At the time of the Fund’s establishment at the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, Sara and Steven commented, “This is one way we wish to express our appreciation to our community, and to God, for the blessings of love, joy and Torah that we ex…
…gain, with certain restrictions). Minors may not lead the shaharit morning service or musaf additional service. However, any Jewish child who has reached the age of bar-mitzva (13 for boys) or bat-mitzva (12 for girls), whether or not they have celebrated a “bar- or bat-mitzva” ceremony, are adults for this purpose by virtue of their age and may lead all services. Dear Reader, Dear Rabbi has a few questions of his own and would be happy to receive…
…e cultural diversity. To live according to our own ways is now part of the American ideal. By right as Americans we can declare our Jewishness. By living fully as Jews, we get “extra credit” for living the American Way. When we place our Hanuka lights in our window for all to see, we make a positive statement about our values and identity. “Whoever performs a mitzva,” say our sages, “lights a candle of God and revives their spirit.” Happy Hanuka….
…ays to connect, serve the world, and have fun. After a year of adapting to services outdoors, BEKI has restored its three separate children’s services every Shabbat morning. Rosh Hashana brings bright future to New Haven synagogue and new rabbi: It was ‘meant to be’, nhregister.com, Sep. 5, 2021 [NOTE: article is behind a paywall] Rabbi Eric Woodward plans to encourage the members of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel to be their true, best selves,…
…clearly a census of males, ages 20 and up, who are fit enough for military service. We get very specific numbers, tribe by tribe, of how many men qualify. In the context of that world, it may be readily understandable that a military census was only focused on males. However, by having a census that only focuses on military needs, it seemingly implies, at least to me, that it is not important to have a census of all the people. Imagine if the pars…
…ght still be some who did not get to say one; if there was no limit to the number of qaddishes added, the service became burdensomely long. So after careful scrutiny the rabbis allowed all mourners to say qaddish simultaneously. This rabbinic solution was adopted only after careful consideration, and after it was determined that mourner’s qaddish is not one of the types of public prayers that can be said by only one person at a time, such as is th…
…ed. The book is called Thirteen and a Day, and it’s a look at contemporary American Judaism through the institution of the bar- and bat-mitzva. Mark visited a lot of synagogues to see how they handle their benei mitzva preparations and celebrations, and he happened to come to BEKI on the Shabbat of Annie Bass’s bat mitzva. Later, he interviewed the Basses, the rabbi and me. I think he got his description of BEKI and the community right, calling us…
…using adjectives like “dark,” “dirty” and “hairy” and claimed that African Americans were incapable of serving American cities as decent mayors. It does not seem unreasonable to me, or an abridgement of anyone’s constitutional rights, for African Americans to inform Shoppers World or Temple Luggage that they do not appreciate the sponsors’ support of Ken Hamblin and their association with his message of hatred and contempt by the presence of their…
…t I’m the one that gets to speak the most English today! In other words, a free will offering. The spirit of Shavuot is also one of renewal of commitment, the taking on of the Torah. It was in that spirit that we’ve carried on and come before you today. Additionally, we read in the notes for the text that in many congregations, Shavuot is the time when children are initiated into the formal study of Jewish religion and Hebrew language. Some temple…
