- 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
…he rabbi and I told him of my decision. And he was so happy for me and so encouraging and he gave me strength and confidence and inspiration to go forward. And I approached Darryl and asked her to teach me and she has worked with me patiently for almost a year now, and praised each of my little successes. And Bruce stood by my side all along…cheering me on, sharing my excitement, honoring the path my life was taking. Last summer I went up to the b…
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…am is her brother. The wives’ needs are considered unimportant — their silence and their acquiescence were the responses of victims to sexual violence or the threat of same. The beauty of Sarah and Rebekah is a potential risk of danger to their husband/masters — in this sense it is a liability not an asset. The husbands have full responsibility for their wives; the wives have no voice or opportunity to decide their own destiny. The women are objec…
…euteronomy “Amaleq happened (karekha) upon you. Karekha literally means coincidence or happenstance. Amaleq stands for randomness, chaos, a universe without God’s order. The verse in Deuteronomy continues, “And Amaleq did not fear God.” Thus he becomes the opposition to Torah. God’s world has purpose and meaning with an absolute standard of morality. Amaleq opposes that order. In remembering and not forgetting Amaleq we are being told to recognize…
…st have had a fruitful struggle with this teaching. To my mind, it’s no coincidence that there are a disproportionate number of gay clergy. Half of my ordination class was gay or lesbian. The process of coming out of the closet, the work we’ve done to become whole and unashamedly ourselves is deeply spiritual. Perhaps this is the Torah that gay men and lesbians have heard and give the world – the lesson that we all, gay or not, must be honest abou…
…able and realized- “We are seven women — one teacher and six students.” Coincidence? Book of Ruth Let me move on to The Book of Ruth. I’d like to make some remarks about the story that resonate with us, and also consider why this is read on Shavuot. Here is a story of friendship and loyalty between women on one level, but also about the taking on of Judaism on another. When Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem, having learned that the famine was o…
…hould be according to the individual. If one’s kavana [concentration and sincerity] is enhanced by swaying, then one should sway; if not, one should stand upright. The point is that one should pray with kavana. Dear Rabbi, Why can’t we chew gum and eat candy during services? Does the Torah forbid that, too? Signed, Bazooka Yosi. Dear Bazooka Yosi, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but the Torah does forbid you from chewing gum and eatin…
…society. It should also be noted that fundamental changes have occurred since the days of the Besht in the movements that today retain the label “Hasidic” and so these teachings of the Besht are not intended to reflect one way or the other on the teachings of these modern namesakes. Reconciliation The importance of reconciliation is reflected in numerous tales. For example, the Besht is portrayed as a successful judge able to reconcile disputants…
…erent. Everybody does something behind closed doors, whether it be write a cheap romance novel or go to some forbidden site on the Web. The thing I do behind closed doors is write poetry. Long and involved, they usually represent some flaw in humanity or in myself or just some tragic love poem. Words spurt out of my mouth and I have to write them down or else I lose them, the ideas slipping through my fingers like grains of sand in an hourglass. I…
