- 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
…ans as a result of seasonal heating in a typical year. That makes it a big number. In other words, as a byproduct of human exploitation of the land and other natural resources, we have crammed 51 years of solar heat into 50 years of solar time. I cannot help but feel that the earth will make up for this in due course, that the land will have its rest. The environmental responsibilities of each of us and of our congregation need to be understood in…
…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’…
…, a very complex distribution network. The way it operates is by a certain number of power plants producing energy, usually by burning fossil fuels, and then feeding it into the massive grid of electrical power lines. I think this is quite similar to the societal structure of the monkeys and the medieval Jewish court system, in that the majority of interactions, or in this case, power transmissions, are local, but the network is able to transmit p…
…ah reading for Shavuot Second Day in Diaspora: Deuteronomy 14:22 – 16:17 & Numbers 28:26-31]. It begins with the commandment to tithe on a yearly basis, so as to provide for the needy among us, to take care of the Levites, to understand that our year’s bounty is not just a result of our great skill but also of God’s goodness, and to realize that our possessions are merely possessions- whose enjoyment comes from sharing them with others. The text g…
…lieve that the book of Isaiah was written during the Babylonian exile by a number of people in addition to Isaiah. Isaiah himself was a prophet of the nation of Judah and was one of the first to leave a written record of his prophecies, or proclamations. The book of Isaiah is one of the longest in the Bible, containing sixty chapters. The sayings of Isaiah are contained in the first 39 chapters. Most of the rest, written around 550 BCE, were poems…
…nsgresses a prohibition, as Scripture states, “Do not add [to the required number of lashes]” — if the Torah warns not to add blows to a guilty person, how much more does this apply to an innocent person. Even to raise one’s hand against another, even if one doesn’t actually hit him or her, is called wicked, as Scripture states, “And he said to the wicked one, Why do you hit your neighbor?”7 Rabbenu Perez, in his decree, cites a responsum of Rabbi…
…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…
…the talk of “ethnic cleansing,” the reality on the ground is quite the opposite of the accusation. It is true, of course, that Arab and Bedouin Palestinians have experienced expulsions and “ethnic cleansing” throughout history – often at the hands of fellow Arabs or Muslims, as well as by Europeans. Many Arab villages in Northern Israel were wiped out by Bedouin raiders or Druze forces in the 19th century, including most of those on Mount Carmel a…
…ge of the Woods plaza. You can see their menu at https://ladle-loaf.square.site. Ladle and Loaf also has a catering service, called The Gusto Kitchen, for dairy, vegetarian, pescatarian or meat events. Details at https://thegustokitchen.com. NEW! Lea’s Falafelhaus, pareve restaurant, 370 Whalley Ave., across from Edge of the Woods. You can see their menu at https://d2f1dfnoetc03v.cloudfront.net/Files/image000000.PNG NEW LOCATION! Fin and Scale, ko…
…ty. No representation about kashrut is made concerning items served at off-site events (such as a LaG BaOmer Kumsits or an Erev Shira Song Night at a private residence), nor at community events for which the Congregation is listed as a “sponsor” or “cosponsor,” unless specifically stated. All food served at BEKI is prepared or heated in compliance with Shabbat restrictions. For details of the implementation of this policy, see the Dear Kosher Cate…
