Services
Minyans
Monday at 6:55 am
Thursday at 6:55 am
Sunday at 9:00 am
Shabbat
Friday at 7:00 pm
Saturday at 9:00 am
|
 By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ב באדר ה'תש"ע (March 8th, 2010) in From the Bima A View From the Bima
Now that Purim is over and the last of the hamentaschen have been eaten, it is time for me to turn to Passover and some of the lessons that its observance can teach us. The words may not change in the Haggadah from one year to the next, but the illustrations and commentaries provide us with new things to talk about as we gather with our families around the Seder table. While in Israel, Lynn bought me a signed edition of the Abecassis Haggadah, whose pictures of whimsical characters dressed in colorful garb fill each page with such animation. I never knew that that three of the children who bring their questions to the table had such heavy beards! According to this popular Israeli artist from Morocco, there is much to be understood about the story of the Exodus from a Sefardic perspective.
Continue reading Another Look At the Four Children →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on י"ג באדר ה'תש"ע (February 27th, 2010) in From the Bima, at TBA Parashat Tetzaveh 5770 Dvar Acheir
May We Just Be
Purim is a time for us to mask ourselves in a gesture of fun and frolic. We hide our true identities from each other as though it were a children’s game of “let’s pretend.” While some psychologists might admit to the need every once in a while it is necessary for people to let their hair down and be more “themselves,” the hidden message in this remark is that we spend the majority of our time pretending to be somebody that we’re not. We find ourselves being what is expected of us by others, and after a while, hiding behind these invisible masks we are forced to create for ourselves, we discover the discontinuity in our behavior, and begin to wonder who is the real person we truly are. Are we a fiction of our own doing, or are we genuine to our inner beings. So, the masks that we wear end up being more than just a children’s game as we try to reconcile with ourselves between what is outside and what is inside.
This week’s Torah portion concentrates itself on Aaron and the Priesthood. In Exodus 28 we are introduced to the vestments that they were to wear when performing their job. Elsewhere, the Torah shares with us the details of how their undergarments needed to match the white tunics that they wore for dress. There is much speculation by the sages and Bible commentators that this is to teach us the important lesson that what is inside each of us must be in congruence with that which we share with the world – not only on a physical level, but even more so on a psychological and/or spiritual level.
Continue reading Tetzaveh – A Purim Message →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on י"ג באדר ה'תש"ע (February 27th, 2010) in Dvar Torah Parashat Tetzaveh 5770
An Excused or an Excused Absence?
Many scholars of the Bible have commented that this week’s Torah portion is the only sedrah from the beginning of Exodus to the end of Deuteronomy in which the name of Moses is absent. Why is he not mentioned in a Torah portion that begins with the words “Atah tetzaveh,” meaning, “You shall further instruct…”? God refers to Moses but does not mention him directly by name! What’s up with God?
Continue reading Parashat Tetzaveh →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ח' באדר ה'תש"ע (February 22nd, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Terumah 5770
To-Marrow, To-Marrow, Is Just a Life Away
Right before leaving for a short weekend trip to Houston to celebrate my Mother-in-Law’s 85th birthday party with my wife and her seven siblings, their children, and grandchildren – close to sixty in all – I stopped at the bookstore to pick up my daughter who needed a book to read for school. I had no intention of buying myself another book since I had plenty of others unread sitting on the shelf in my bedroom waiting for my attention. No sooner had I crossed the threshold of the entrance when I was greeted by a gentleman in a suit who was attempting to sell a book that he authored. On the cover was a picture of Kevin Walsh, the author and the man standing before me, contemplating a final golf shot. For a man who is more interested in baseball than golf, on the surface, this was not the book I would have chosen to take with me on the plane. I told the author that I would come back to talk to him after I found my daughter. Being true to my word, I returned to the store entrance to share a kind word with Kevin while my daughter stood in line.
Kevin was determined to convince me that his book would be well worth my while. He asked me if I had read “Tuesdays With Morrie.” Who hasn’t read Mitch Albom’s epic story about his professor who died of Lou Gehrig’s Disease and the wisdom that he shared with one of his students? Kevin then said to me that his story would match the heart-felt warmth that was a major part of that story. It was then that I focused on the title of the book, “The Marrow In Me,” and it dawned on me how beshert this moment had been. While reading his book, it became even more evident how these moments of “beshert,” more than just chance circumstances, influence us in our daily lives as we look for purpose and meaning. As Kevin mentions several times in his book, God works through us in mysterious ways that cannot be explained otherwise.
Continue reading Parashat Terumah →
In Honor of Judaism and Disabilities Month
A Blessing for Hearing and Thinking
A number of years ago, an eleven year old girl refused to begin her Bat Mitzvah lessons until her parents and I made a plan for the brother’s Bar Mitzvah. Her brother had been confined to a wheel chair all of his life, and was not able to communicate with others in the same way as you and I can. Even though he had a multiple of physical and mental ailments that required constant daily care by his parents, he lacked nothing in relation to the love and devotion shown to him by his family – and especially his sister who wanted nothing less for her brother in regards to this life changing rite of passage. We found a way to honor Jesse’s abilities to feel the texture of the Torah parchment as a recognition of his blessing the Torah by a series of recordings that were triggered by his hand at the appropriate time. It is this Torah that filled his heart, and hours, along with tears of joy at being able to celebrate the joys in life despite his disabilities. As I watched him dance to the music at the reception afterwards, as people hugged him so that he could stand upright and feel the beat of the music, I couldn’t help but imagine how empowered he must have felt on that day, in the same way that he feels empowered on the horse that he rides as a therapeutic exercise each week.
Continue reading In honor of Judaism and Disabilities Month →
The Horse Whisperer
By Rabbi Steven J. Rubenstein
There is an ancient Jewish tradition whenever a person goes to Israel, it is customary to give them tzedakah as your emissary, to keep them safe on their journey. The mission is not completed until the funds have been distributed and the person returns securely. Before leaving for Israel, Lynn and I were given one dollar bills from our respective work places and from friends. We knew from the outset where we wanted to donate our collection of bills. However, we were never certain whether or not we would be able to make our delivery in person. It wasn’t until our last day in Israel that we were given the opportunity to pay a visit to a worthwhile organization that is situated along the Mediterranean Sea between Ceasarea and Tel Aviv.
Continue reading The Horse Whisperer →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ג' באדר ה'תש"ע (February 17th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Terumah 5770
The Best Gift of All – Finding Our Lost Spirituality
I thank my teacher of Midrash, Uriele Brule, for the following insight into this week’s Torah portion about the giving of gifts for the building of the mishkan, a place (in our hearts) where God can dwell inside of us. Too often I have heard people complain that they have lost their sense of spirituality. When I ask them where they think they “lost it” or when they thought they had it last, I have received a myriad of responses, many of which claim a lack of attachment to worship and to the Torah in general.
Each week, I read a number of commentaries regarding the weekly parashah, choosing one as the message I wish to deliver as my connection to the Torah and to the community whom I serve. Often it is based on the human side of things as opposed to politics. Almost always there is a moral to be learned from the personalities that interact with one another and with God, and what kind of an example they set for us in our own generation. Times may be different, but the hidden messages of the Torah are timeless. They are true for every generation. So, we are not unique in that regard. However, it does connect us to a long tradition that has much to offer each successive generation who builds on the learning of the previous one.
Continue reading Parashat Terumah →
Parashat Mishpatim 5770
My colleague, Rabbi Tamar Miller, recently wrote on her blog the following quote from the Talmud that has me thinking about the significance of my life as I overcome the jetlag from my recent return from Israel with a synagogue group:
“ ‘The Talmud tells us that in the world to come, everyone will be called to account for all the desires they might have fulfilled in this world but chose not to…’ Desires are sacred according to the Rabbis. Who put them there if not God herself? There is no shame in wanting. No limitations to fulfilling our needs. Desire is a deep expression of life.”
Desire is indeed a deep expression of life. Our American ancestors expressed their desires when they fashioned certain hopes and dreams in the constitution that has become the credo of our nation since our liberation from England more than two hundred years ago: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Continue reading Mishpatim →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ב בשבט ה'תש"ע (February 6th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Yitro – February 6, 2010 – 22 Shevat 5770
Before the recent Senatorial election, I had the opportunity to ask my favorite (retired) professor of government studies for whom I should vote. Needless to say, I was greeted with a clamor that spoke volumes about the loyalties of those family members who were also in the room and took the liberty to respond as boisterously as my teacher and mentor on the process of governing.
Continue reading Parashat Yitro — Diving Into Politics →
Friday
February 5, 2010
22 Shevat 5770
Time to leave Kibbutz haGoshrim. I forgot to mention in yesterday’s itinerary a very important stop along the way. The women especially had a great time picking out shoes at the Naot factory. My wife swears an oath that the shoes from this kibbutz factory are the most comfortable that she has ever worn. Given how many pairs that were purchased by the other members of our tour, I think that they might agree… Looking northward from the dining room window, it is quite evident that the low clouds have lifted to reveal a wonderful sight, a clear view of snow on Mount Hermon. What a spectacular view we had!
Unfortunately, the clarity of the weather up north did not hold up as we traveled southwest, back down to the Mediterranean Seacoast and the city of Haifa. The major attraction of this modern port city is the Bahai Shrine and its magnificently manicured gardens. However, the shrine itself is covered in a tarp as it undergoes renovations. What remains is more like a “cookie jar” than anything itself, according to our guide. Enough! We move on to Ceasarea, the ancient port built up by King Herod to honor Augustus. The remains of both an amphitheatre and a hippodrome are interesting archaeological finds as we fathom the depth of Herod’s genius as a master builder and manipulator of commerce, but also witness his paranoia. Took lots of pictures of the ancient aquaduct and another view of the rolling waves in a sea that is still stormy.
On to lunch and a visit to INTRA – Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association. For several years I have been sending donations to this organization whenever I have a bar or bat mitzvah child that is interested in horses. I learned about INTRA many years ago when Danny Siegel mentioned this place in Israel near the ocean outside of Tel Aviv where horses were performing mitzvoth on a daily basis. I knew almost immediately that this is a place I would need to visit in person. Today, I did. On two separate occasions I have been a sponsor of a horse in honor of two bat mitzvoth. Pokie is her name and she is a beautiful and gentle creature. I finally lived out my personal dream of meeting her. I also met her mare, Siegel. Anita and her husband, who care for this stable of twenty horses, explained all that they do to help the handicapped, those who suffer from war injuries, those who are mentally and physically challenged, and even those soldiers who suffer from PTSD through therapeutic riding. As much as they do, the people whom they serve are unable to pay for all of the services they receive. They rely on outside donations to support the work that they and the mitzvah horses do to bring life to bodies that are broken. It is here that I deposited the tzedakah money that I collected from various people to insure our safety throughout the trip and for our return. They are indeed grateful for our visit! And we enjoyed out time with them and the horses.
Finally, on to Tel Aviv and our hotel for Shabbat and one last day in the sun before flying home!
|
|
Youth
Recent Comments