March 1, 2019
Progressive Dinner
Dear Friends, In the stated core values of Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism is the idea that a small membership base is the best way to preserve a warm and
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HCRJ Web Admin
February 1, 2019
A Driving Range for the Philanthropist
Dear Friends, A number of years ago, a congregant who was frustrated with dues, handed me a check for $86.00 and told me that he was covered for the year.
Continue readingOctober 24, 2018
October 24, 2018
Dear Friends, This week’s Torah portion contains a familiar, but disturbing tale. In it, Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. With a deep sense of faith in God, Abraham
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October 17, 2018
Dear Melissa, As I was sitting at my computer moments ago, I found myself in a state of brain freeze. I could not think of a single topic to write about. All
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October 10, 2018
Dear Melissa, This Friday night, October 12, we will be holding our Fourth Annual Pink Ribbon Shabbat. At this special service, we will honor survivors and remember those whose lives were
Continue readingOctober 3, 2018
October 3, 2018
Dear Friends, Turn it and turn it again, as everything is in it. Reflect on it and grow old and gray with it. Don’t turn from it, for nothing is
Continue readingSeptember 26, 2018
September 26, 2018
Dear Friends, In Leviticus 23: 42-43, we are commanded to dwell in a sukkah for seven days as a reminder of our wanderings in the wilderness after the Exodus from
Continue readingSeptember 18, 2018
September 18, 2018
Dear Friends, During these Days of Awe, we are invited to turn inward. We occupy ourselves in prayer, fasting, spiritual growth and atonement. These ten days between Rosh HaShanah and
Continue readingSeptember 12, 2018
September 12, 2018
Dear Friends, This Friday night is Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The name is derived from the opening word of the haftarah reading that urges us:
Continue readingSeptember 5, 2018
September 5, 2018
With the blasting of the shofar, we launch our Season of Penitence. Like an annual alarm clock, the shofar calls us to wake up to see the world through the lens
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Rabbi Gross writes most of what is on this page, and says the rest of it on a Friday night. Everyone is welcome at a service, and you do not need to tell anyone you are coming.