- 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
…itself, and as an independent being in God’s creation, we believe that the way we view and treat an animal affects the way we treat other people. Cruelty toward animals is often a precursor to cruelty toward people. In our panoply of values, we might in general rank our values as human species survival, human group survival, individual human life, then animal species survival, and finally individual animal survival. The weight of law and tradition…
…ust tell the story of the Exodus to each son and daughter of Israel in the way that is most meaningful to him or her. Through the efforts of Sisterhood, the generosity of Abel Catering and the good offices of the JFS, the Exodus was reenacted through song, food and story at a table set in the Passover tradition. This was one of several BEKI outreach efforts for children and adults with special needs. Goody Bags for Kids at Holidays At Purim and Si…
…t has become untenable. Perhaps in the next few years we will see a better way to reconcile an ancient rule with a radically changed world, but in the meantime, life goes on. After all, we don’t want to take Biblical rules lightly; but in this case, there is not much else we can do but treat it the same way we treat some other technical violations. Unfortunately, most of the CJLS papers promote sweeping and far-reaching approaches where a simple a…
…and in a final, hostile encounter the two negotiate a cool parting of the ways. Now Jacob faces an even more frightening encounter, with his brother Esau, who has vowed to kill him. Jacob’s past has finally caught up with him. He fears for his life. His worldly success has not prepared him to meet Esau. But he cannot turn back. Laban is behind him. He has no choice but to continue on his way toward the waiting Esau. Jacob must prepare himself for…
…ad sold him as a slave. What they did was awful. They shouldn’t have sent away their brother. They broke their father’s heart because Yaqov really believed that Yosef was killed by a wild beast. And they broke their own hearts, too, because they really did love their brother. I feel bad for Yaqov because his sons lied to him and he really loved Yosef and now he doesn’t have a special son anymore. Many years later, in the middle of the famine, Yose…
…ve credo (Latin scholars: credamus). The words can be translated different ways. I grew up with: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” In this translation, the stress is on God’s one-ness, indivisibility. More commonly used today is, “Hear O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai alone.” This version affirms two ideas — that we believe Adonai is God, and that God is unique. Rashi wrote that Adonai Elokenu refers to now, and to the God of…
…ely innocent victim. In each test, the brothers behave in a most exemplary way. In the last test, rather than showing indifference to Jacob’s pain, (as Joseph himself did) Judah shames Joseph with his obviously sincere compassion for Jacob. At this, Joseph’s harsh facade cracks, and he is forced to accept that his brothers are not wicked and inhuman and that they and he share a deep human bond. Hearing Judah’s courageous argument to spare Jacob th…
…ive directly to and from shul, on condition that they make no stops on the way. In places where Jews (of all affiliations) were already driving to shul it seemed hypocritical to rope off the parking lot and have them park a block away. The choice facing the Rabbis seemed to be: They come by car or they don’t come, and the Rabbis wanted them to come. It seemed preferable to violate the prohibitions of driving than to have much of the religious fabr…
…high-output stage lights in the sanctuary, and halogen lamps in the entry way and art display areas were replaced in Spring 2015. An initiative to promote Conservation and Alternative and Renewable Energy as Jewish values was begun in 2006 as a Legacy Heritage Innovation Project funded by the Legacy Heritage Fund. This initiative uses the existing education structures of the Congregation as vehicles to further awareness and action. The initiative…
…ergencies” that require immediate rabbinic sobriety. Although it may not always seem like it, we do have professional standards. For those reasons, years ago I had thought that I would defer recreational drug use until retirement. But now as I begin to see the glimmer of Golden Years on my horizon, a new deterrent rears its head: Many recreational drugs destroy brain cells. I can barely get my childrenʼs names straight, let alone remember new info…
