Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion (Emor), the Torah provides an early glimpse of how the Bible attempts to shape the sacred nature of our lives by setting celebrations and events along the course of a calendar year. In it, we find a very rudimentary version of the Jewish calendar we use today. Included in early calendar we find commandments regarding a weekly Sabbath, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and the three Harvest Festivals (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot).

It is interesting to note that each sacred observance involves some kind of sacrifice. On the Sabbath we sacrifice work, during the festivals we sacrifice the harvest and on Yom Kippur we sacrifice consumption of any kind. These sacrifices help make time sacred and holy. They bond us as a people. They enable us to express appreciation for all we have.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and while it may not be in the Bible, the day is sacred to mothers, fathers and children alike. It is a day set aside to express our gratitude for all the sacrifices made by our mothers, and it is a way for us to elevate the sacred nature of motherhood.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms. May this be a day filled with blessings of love, joy and gratitude.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Melissa,

Today is Yom HaAtzmaut (Israeli Independence Day), and in the spirit of solidarity with Jews all over the world, we honor and celebrate the centrality of the Jewish State in the life-blood of Jewish history, heritage, culture and spiritual sustenance. As a modern political entity, Israel is only 72 years old, but in this short period of time Israel has become one of the most successful centers for technology, industry, medicine, agriculture, and science in the entire world. It is also the only democracy and one of the only dependable allies of the US in the entire Middle East.

Indeed, we can take great pride in the fact that Israel has established herself as one of the most democratic, forward thinking nations in the world, and during this period of global pandemic, we can continue to revel in our pride as a people. According to news reports, Israel has managed to navigate the COVID-19 crisis in a highly effective way. The amount of deaths and grave illness recorded there have been mercifully low. Additionally, Israeli research and scientific ingenuity has remained a global leader in efforts to generate testing, supplies and eventual vaccines to combat this pandemic.

Tonight at 5:00, Israel will be the focus of our weekly Live at Five (see link below). We will also celebrate our connections with Israel this coming Friday through our Sharing Shabbat experience.

There are many ways to designate time to honor Israel and celebrate her role in our lives. Yom HaAtzmaut invites us to do so. Israel is important to us as a Jewish people and as a faith, and it is important for us to collectively recognize her ongoing centrality to our existence.

Happy Yom HaAtzmaut!

Steve

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, Jews around the world observed Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. This annual day of remembrance designates sacred time devoted to recalling the horrors of the past as a way to shape the present and the future.

We must never forget that the atrocities of the Nazis demanded a complicit society. We must never forget that the horrors of the Holocaust were rooted in socially accepted fear, intolerance and hated. We must never forget that the human capacity for genocide is not something that is unique to the Holocaust.

It is our obligation to collectively remember what happened to us in the past and dedicate ourselves to fighting the human capacity to hate in future. “Never Again” can only be realized if the entire world is committed to overcoming the voices which perpetuate and promulgate hateful rhetoric in society at large. On this week of Yom HaShoah, let our sacred remembrance compel us to action.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

In the Torah portion we read on this Sabbath, two sons of Aaron (Nadab and Abihu), take it upon themselves to present their own personal offerings to God. Each of them takes a fire pan, places fire and incense in it, and presents it to God as an offering. The response to these offerings is shocking. Instead of receiving their offerings, God consumes Nadab and Abihu with fire.

This passage has troubled readers of the Torah throughout history. It seems to suggest that innovations and new ways of doing things are not to be tolerated and points to a truth that is as ancient as our faith: People and institutions do not like change.

The truth is that we are creatures of habit. We like what we know, and we know what we like. We like what we grow up with. We like what we have learned, but when it comes to learning new things, we typically put up a lot of resistance.

Our global lockdown is challenging this human resistance to change. Sequestered in our homes, we are forced to find new and innovative ways to connect with each other, shop for food and get work done. In many ways, we are forced to be like Nadab and Abihu, who offer new ways to get to the same end.

It is my hope and prayer that these innovations will not be rejected, and that, when we finally get to the other side of this pandemic, institutions around the world find ways to embrace the new along with the old.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Melissa,

Last night, Jews around the world celebrated the first night of Passover, but last night was different from Seders of years past. COVID-19 forced everyone to remain at home, and efforts to maintain social-distancing prevented families and friends to gather in large numbers. Such circumstances could have placed
a dark shadow over our Seder experiences, but our desire to share in the joys of our festival triumphed over these global restrictions.

Quarantine was no match to human ingenuity. Technologies like Zoom, FaceTime and a wide selection of modern streaming services provided us with a source of liberation from this modern-day oppressor, and, for all who sought to celebrate, these technological tools enabled us to experience the drama of our ancestral Exodus in new and exciting ways.

This year, everyone will have a story about how they escaped the bondage imposed by the threats of “the evil COVID-19 virus” and found a way to cross the sea to celebrate with family and friends. Our family used Zoom, which effectively linked family members across the country together. Our Zoom Seder included participants from Baltimore, Minneapolis, Denver, Portland, San Diego, Laguna, Galveston and Houston. Many of us had not seen each other in years. Some of us had never celebrated a Seder together.

I am sure that each of us has a story to share, and this story should not be forgotten. As our Haggadah implores us to remember: Every generation should experience the Seder as a story that applies to each of us in a personal way. This year, may the story of our liberation in ages past serve to provide us with hope and resilience as we work to find deliverance from the threats of our day.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

Each year on Passover, we remember and retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. At the Seder, the Haggadah serves as our guidebook as we retrace our ancestral steps from slavery to freedom. Through the use of collective storytelling, our faith compels us to see and understand that “until all are free, none are free,” and that the path to redemption is a communal journey.

This year, the messages of our festival are more important than ever. This year, our understanding of collective redemption is elevated has we confront a global pandemic. This year, when we say, “until all are free, none are free,” we remind ourselves that we are all in the same boat, and the plague of COVID-19 has launched us on a voyage that must be addressed collectively.

As we prepare for Passover (which begins on Wednesday night, April 8), we understand that our Seders may be very different. They may be smaller and more intimate. They may be facilitated by technologies that can bring us together even though we are in separate locations. They may be limited in terms of what we can do in terms of ritual, as Passover items are in short supply. Yet, despite any compromises we may need to make, the messages we glean from our Haggadah will be more relevant than ever.

The ‘Passover Resources’ page on the HCRJ website provides useful information to help you lead a Seder on your own. Please click here to view the page. Be sure to visit this page often as we will be updating it with new information daily as Passover nears. There are also a number of virtual community Seders that are open to all.

May your preparations for Passover be meaningful, and may you find ways to connect with family and friends despite the crisis that surrounds us.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah Portion, we begin the Book of Leviticus. This book of the Torah is basically a dense corpus of commandments, many of which are designed to guide our daily behaviors. When reading this book from an actual Torah scroll, the eye is immediately drawn to the fact that the final letter in this first word of Leviticus (Vayikra) is a tiny ALEF (See image above). This tiny ALEF happens to be the smallest letter in the entire Torah, and the custom invites interpretation.

While there are many explanations regarding this textual anomaly, the miniature ALEF seems to suggest that ancient scribes were trying to teach us a lesson regarding the ego. ALEF happens to be the first letter in the Hebrew word for “I” – “ANI,” and  so the sages suggest that this may be the Torah’s way of suggesting that we should posture ourselves with humility and respect before the law as we begin to read the section of the Torah that is focused on a corpus of commandments.

During this week, when strict measures have been asked of us by the government to help curb the spread of COVID-19, our Torah portion provides us with an extremely important message. There are times when we need to shrink the ego for a greater good.

In his book, Man’s Quest for God, the great Jewish thinker Abraham Joshua Heschel teaches a powerful lesson regarding sacrifice. He argues that even though our spiritual practices today may differ greatly from those of our ancestors who brought offerings to God at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it is incumbent upon us to continue to understand what we do today through a lens of personal sacrifice. According to Heschel, as we engage in modern day sacrificial acts such as prayer and self-denial, our efforts represent a concrete attempt to “. . . try to surrender our vanities, to burn our insolence, to abandon our bias, dishonesty and envy.”

In light of the what is being asked of us by our government today, the Shrunken ALEF found in the Torah and Heschel’s teachings regarding sacrifice can serve to broaden the meaning of the inconveniences we are currently experiencing. Our personal sacrifices in the days and weeks to come may demand a shift in our ego-centric worlds, but they can serve to remind us of the value and importance of giving, sharing and living together in a society that cares for each other.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

At HCRJ, we are committed to engaging and expanding our sacred community by building bridges and establishing connections inside and outside of our walls. During this difficult time, we need each other and we need our faith more than ever.

As social distancing is the strategy we employ to keep us safe, we also need a strategy to keep us connected. To that end, we are creating creative ways to bring the HCRJ community together virtually.

We are currently experimenting with a variety of technological tools like Zoom, Facebook Live and YouTube. As distance learning and virtual community building are very new to us, we could really use your help in navigating this new frontier. Here’s what you can do to help:

• Like the HCRJ Facebook Page
• Join a Zoom call
• Watch the videos and programs that we develop
• Provide us with constructive feedback

Below you will find a list of the programs we have already planned. We will be sending more links in the days ahead. Our hope is to bring us together as a sacred community despite the fact that our facility is currently closed.

Whether it is for Shabbat worship or Jewish learning, our HCRJ virtual community promises to inspire, engage and encourage us as we face this crisis together.

L’Shalom,

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, Jews around the world celebrated Purim, and while the HCRJ Purim celebration took place last Friday night, we still have an opportunity to enjoy the levity that comes with this joyous holiday. So, in the playful spirit of Purim, here is a little joke to bring you a weeee bit of joy and laughter.