- 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
…containing sixty chapters. The sayings of Isaiah are contained in the first 39 chapters. Most of the rest, written around 550 BCE, were poems designed to rebuild the faith of the exiles in Babylonia. Today’s haftorah is chapter 60, one of the final three chapters. It was written towards the end of the century and foretells the return of the Jewish people to their homes in Palestine. To understand Isaiah better, imagine for a moment what it must ha…
…essage. Over the course of the school year, the kids would memorize a fair number of these. The sayings she chose reflected her particular take on Judaism, which tended to the ethical rather than the spiritual. In cleaning out her apartment last year, my sister Naomi and I came across some of these sayings, which I’ve brought with me to show you. Some of the pitgamim were easy to memorize and therefore were very popular with the kids: “Tov shem m’…
…Photovoltaic project at BEKI, see The sun will shine on BEKI bar mitzva, by Howard Blas, Connecticut Jewish Ledger, 6 January 2006 A Higher Power, New Haven Independent, 19 December 2005 Student Power, SmartPower, December 2005 Stemming the Tide, by Liz Galst, Forward (English), 4 November 2005…
…sed with the new parking lot, the disappearance of the tractor trailer and decrepit sheds, the glorious new entrance, elevator, and many other renovations, tonight I’m going to focus on the spiritual, communal and social aspects of synagogue life. It seems to me that BEKI is humming with renewed energy. In the course of the past three years, we have revitalized programs that had been allowed to lapse. We have enhanced activities that have been flo…
…ammered to the doorpost through the ear — and remain bondsmen forever. The decision to choose slavery over independence is thus so abhorrent — it is discouraged with torture. Parallels with our group? Well, we feel strongly that our good fortune in being able to study together — and to at long last having at least the beginning of the skills needed to participate fully in this community — brings with it an obligation to share, or tithe. Thus our d…
…n, pp. 216-217. 30. Finkelstein, pp. 71-71. 31. Binyamin Zev, sec. 116, no. 315-317. 32. Rambam Sefer Nashim, hilkhot ishut, 21:10. 33. Raabad on Rambam Sefer Nashim, hilkhot ishut, 21:10. 34. Migdal `Oz on Rambam Sefer Nashim, hilkhot ishut, 21:10. 35. Magid Mishna on Rambam Sefer Nashim, hilkhot ishut, 21:10. 36. Terumat HaDeshen, Benei Beraq Israel, 1981, sec. 118. 37. Rama on Shulhan `Arukh, Even HaEzer, hilkhot gittin, 154:3. 38. Ben Azzai, A…
…ould be made. A good friend explained it to me: “People who are conniving, deceitful and scheming believe that other people are like themselves.” Now it all made sense. It turns out that this same person was indeed conniving, deceitful and scheming in business and family life, most of which, thankfully, had absolutely nothing to do with me. This life-lesson comes to me when I see the frequent references made to Israel’s purported “genocide,” “ethn…
…eaching. 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 about our lives. And it’s a lesson that is usef…
…cities of Greece, and even twentieth century America? Surveying the large number of works in the BEKI collection entitled “Rabbi_,” the BEKI Art Committee began discussing how best to present this work in an exhibition. Among ourselves, we called this the “Rabbi Show,” although there is nothing in the artworks themselves to signify that these are rabbis, rather than ordinary men who have been given the honor of holding the Torah. As Jewish artist…
