- 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
…hat I think is made by the censuses described in today’s parshah. Maybe my statement stands in stark opposition to it. In none of these censuses do they count the women. I think that sends a message about whether women count in general, but at the very least, whether they count for crucial purposes of defense and ritual service to G-d. My opposing, religious statement, and one that I also believe that is made, for example, by the rituals celebrati…
…hat of the poor person who can not afford all of this “hidur mitzva” but must struggle to light even one lamp? The Mishna Berura, written at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Hafetz Hayim, comments on the section of the Shulhan Arukh cited above: If one has a limited supply of oil for all the eight days [of Hanuka] and one’s neighbor has none at all, one should light each night only one light and give some to that neighbor…. That is,…
…ants might seek in a beautiful sanctuary. The sanctuary’s design should first and foremost be respectful of the BEKI aesthetic. I perceive this aesthetic to be one that encourages the traditional and communal, that rejects symbols of wealth or hierarchy, is respectful informality, is perhaps at times slightly anarchic. Abraham Heschel wrote that a recognition of the sublime, feelings of awe, wonder, and mystery are central to people’s relationship…
…ctice persisting even when the original reason for the custom no longer exists. The custom endures by the force of tradition. So when Dear Rabbi answers your question by saying, “Because it is a tradition,” you know that this is exactly the case. Dear Rabbi, Why do Jews put stones on tombstones? Signed, Don’t Rock the Boat Dear Don’t Rock, The folk custom of placing stones on a grave or tombstone may date back to prehistoric times when our anc…
…Both lists start with a broad thing to give up and then narrow it down: list number one — go from your land, your birthplace, your father’s house. List number two — take your son, your only son, the one you love, Isaac. This similarity led me to still others. One of the first, and most obvious, comparisons between the two instances of lekh lekha was that in both, God is sending Abraham on a journey. In the first lekh lekha, God is starting Abraha…
…ton Center for the Arts. She has exhibited in galleries in New York, the West Coast and throughout the United States as well as in Berlin, Rome and Vienna. Her work has been written about in the New York Times, Art In America, Art New England and many regional newspapers. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including two from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, a Weir Farm Art Center Residency, two full residency grants t…
…ty and all of us will study on your behalf.”4 Instead of calling in the Ghost Busters or threatening the spirit, the Besht successfully talks the spirit out of its evil ways and out of the woman. It should be noted, moreover, that such spirits are born of evil deeds and can usually be dispensed with only when the wrong is righted. Thus reconciliation is inextricably bound to the pursuit of justice, the confrontation of evil, and making amends. Rec…
…e sunny, earthquake-prone environs and moved to follow their kids to the east coast in 2019. Lisa had worked as a Literacy Specialist at a Jewish Day School in Los Angeles for many years, and as the Educational Director for OROT, a program for Jewish children with learning differences, in Philadelphia for 2 years. Mike is a California Land Use Attorney who works on various planning, zoning, and entitlement issues for clients in Southern California…
…e current pricing and other details. For additional 10 or fewer invited guests (Standard Kiddush): $320 For every additional 20 invited guests beyond those 10, expect to order prepared salads from an approved local kosher vendor. Additional options available: Hummus OR guacamole OR cream cheese OR bruschetta: $50 each Herring OR stuffed grape leaves: $40 each Whitefish salad: $100 extra Lox with platter of onion/tomato/cucumber: $200 extra Decorat…
…iving aliyot in our congregation – they just have to be Jewish. But they must at least be willing to say the berakha (blessing) on their own, or even with coaching. If a 12- or 13-year old can find the courage to stand in front of their elders, and before the Throne of Glory, and lead prayers, then the aunts and uncles or grandparents must find the courage to stand up and recite three Hebrew sentences. To say that someone who would not even read t…
