HCRJ Bulletin Article - Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism

March 23, 2022

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 offers a fire pan to God as kind of sacrifice. God’s response is shocking. God rejects their sacrifices and zaps them on the spot.

The premise of this ancient story seems to suggest that innovations and new ways of doing things are not always welcome. The truth is that human beings are creatures of habit. We like what we know, and we know what we like. Therefore, changes in rituals and customs (like the strange fires of Nadab and Abihu) are often met with resistance.

This past year, as we have slowly returned to in-person worship, I have heard plenty of comments regarding some of the melodies we have been singing and rituals we have been performing. As if we are presenting a modern form of “strange fire,” some folks have asked:

When did we start doing THAT?
What happened to my favorite melody of (insert prayer here)?
Why don’t we do THIS anymore?

In truth, worship at HCRJ continues to be led in much the same way as it has been in the past. Most of our melodies are the same, and most of our practices have not changed. That said, we have consciously expanded our repertoire of song and ritual to meet the spiritual needs of a broader number of participants.

For those who may not attend services regularly, the result can be a bit jarring, especially if you come on a week that does not include your favorite melodies. When this happens, the worship experience can feel a bit like the “strange fire” of Nadab and Abihu.

HCRJ is committed to working toward a day when every melody we use stirs the soul and every ritual we offer warms the heart. This takes time, patience and an open mind. As we work together to shape our communal worship, I promise to be very conscious of the pitfalls of the “strange fire” we find in our Torah portion this week.

L’Shalom,
Steve

March 16, 2022

Dear Friends,

Tonight is Purim, and Jews around the world will be reading the Book of Esther and celebrating in a wide variety of ways. At HCRJ, our custom is to celebrate Purim on the Sabbath closest to the holiday (see details below).

To increase your joy around this fun-filled holiday, consider the following:

1. Attend one of the many congregations observing Purim tonight.

2. Learn more about the history and customs of Purim by clicking here.

Happy Purim! We look forward to seeing you on Friday night.

Steve

March 9, 2022

Dear Friends,

This year, our Deli Shabbos has a distinctly different feel to it. On the one hand (as Tevye would say), it feels different because we are finally able to gather again, and I am looking forward to seeing you on Friday night for a Shabbat worship experience which beautifully integrates melodies from Fiddler on the Roof. On the other hand, the situation unfolding in Ukraine invites us to consider the profound impact Jews have had on that part of the world.

In a recent article that has been shared around the Jewish world, Rabbi Irwin Keller emphasizes, “It is important to resist schmaltzy Fiddler-style nostalgia for Jewish life as it was once lived in the Ukraine, but it is also right to notice how that land is imprinted on us, and how we are imprinted on it. There are not many places you can go in the world that doesn’t have some Jewish imprint. In Ukraine it is profound.”

Click here for the article.

As you read or listen to this article, it becomes very clear that Jewish life would not be the same without the history of the Jews in the Ukraine. It is also clear that the Ukraine would not have been the same without the Jews.
As this war continues to unfold, we pray for a shift in the tide in this dark sea of conflict – so that harmony can replace hostility, relief can supplant pain, and hope can end despair.

L’Shalom,
Steve

March 2, 2022

Dear Friends,

As the aggressive war against Ukraine continues, our hearts and minds are consumed with fear for the people. Russia’s flagrant assault is not only an international concern, but it is also personal. There are 200,000 Jews in Ukraine, most of us know people who have family and friends who are hiding in shelters and fearing for their lives.

One person who is dear to all of us is our pianist, Yanna, who has family in Kiev. She speaks with them every day as rockets pummel the city, and for the past few weeks, our conversations before Shabbat services have been filled with a sense of anxiety and dismay.

With no clear way out of this crisis, all we can do is stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, extend love and support to our friends whose families are in danger, and pray to God that a peaceful resolution will unfold in the days ahead.

While prayers can shift the heart, changes on the ground demand action and funding. To that end, The Jewish Federation is working locally to support the people of Ukraine. The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) have set out to raise $20 million and Houston is looking to raise at least $220,000 toward this goal. Since the launching of this ambitious campaign on Friday, $112,593 has come through donations.

If you are looking for a way to help the Jewish community in Ukraine, please consider contributing at www.houstonjewish.org/ukraine-relief.

Praying for Peace,
Steve

February 23, 2022

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, you received a message from Melissa about an active shooter training taking place at HCRJ on March 2. Today, I wanted to follow up and encourage you to attend.

I am very proud to share that HCRJ has been diligent in our efforts to maintain a safe and secure environment for all who enter the building. In addition to our constant attention to meeting the security demands of our various programs, our staff has undergone trainings with the ADL, the Federation and law enforcement. These trainings are now being offered to our membership through SCN (Secure Communities Network) in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.

Each of the courses are designed to provide members of the Jewish community with proven defense and survival strategies to use in the face of a violent incident. In short, the classes are designed to help us (the Jews in the pews) protect ourselves.

Please consider taking one of the courses offered below. The more folks who know these strategies, the better prepared we will be to respond in a time of crisis. Thank you for helping HCRJ move from strength to strength.

Active Shooter Training at HCRJ
Wednesday, March 2, 4:30PM to 6:00PM

Additional Security Trainings
Monday, February 28, 6:00PM to 8:00PM
From Tree of Life to Colleyville: The Importance of Faith Based Security and Lessons Learned (Location provided upon registration)

Tuesday, March 1, 6:00PM to 8:00PM
Countering and Active Threat and Introduction to “Stop the Bleed” Hands on Training (Location provided upon registration)

To register for these trainings, please contact Justin at 713-782-4162 or Justin@hcrj.org.

L’Shalom,
Steve

February 16, 2022

Dear Friends,

This week’s Torah portion contains one of the most dramatic events in the entire Torah, the incident of the Golden Calf. From this story we find a powerful message regarding leadership, as we consider the responses of Moses.

When Moses sees that the Israelites have constructed an idol, he responds with anger and rage. He smashes the tablets of the law that he has brought down from the mountain and exposes a very volatile part of his character.

After his fit of rage, Moses recognizes his mistake. Hoping for a second opportunity to demonstrate proper leadership and direction, Moses removes himself from the situation. He prays to God; he asks for forgiveness for himself and the Israelites; and he makes himself vulnerable by taking a stance of humility.

Whenever we find ourselves in a position of leadership and/or authority in the face of crisis, it is imperative to maintain clarity of mind. Whatever the situation may be, this Torah portion is instructive. We need to step away from the chaos and take the time to regain perspective. We need to distance ourselves from getting emotionally entangled. We need to set aside the ego (pray a little for patience) and then reengage with humility and respect.

Whether in our homes or our places of work, these actions, which are modeled by Moses in our portion this week, can go a long way toward establishing effective leadership in times of crisis.

L’Shalom,
Steve

February 9, 2022

Dear Friends,

According to Jewish tradition, we are in the midst of an exceptionally joyous season, because throughout the Hebrew month of Adar (which is this month), there is an increase of joy and gladness. As it is written:

Mi-sh-Nich-nas Adar Mar-bim B’sim-cha
With the coming of Adar, comes increased joy and gladness

Why do we say this at this time of year? Because the festival of Purim comes in Adar! This year, however, we are receiving a double dose of joy, as this year there are two months of the joyful month of Adar!

Confused? If so, let me explain.

The Gregorian calendar (also known as the Western calendar) is based on the earth’s orbit around the sun, which takes 365 days (plus an additional 48 minutes and 46 seconds). These additional minutes add up, and every four years an adjustment is made to compensate for this extra time by adding an additional day in February. Thus, every leap year, February 29 helps us calibrate our calendar.

Similarly, the Jewish calendar needs constant calibration, but these adjustments are a bit more complex. The Jewish calendar is luni-solar (meaning the months are determined by the cycles of the moon while the year is determined by the cycle of the sun). Here’s where things get tricky.

Since a purely lunar calendar year is 11 days shorter than a solar year, the Jewish calendar is calibrated by adding an entire month every two or three years. The month that is added is a second month of Adar. Thus, every few years the Jewish calendar has Adar I and Adar II, and the Jewish people are blessed with two months of joy!

May Adar I and Adar II be filled with great joy for all!

L’Shalom,
Steve

February 2, 2022

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, Terumah, we read a familiar passage, “Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among [or within] them.” This simple verse has invited many profound insights, as scholars throughout the ages have sought to answer the question: What meant by, “I may dwell among [or within] them?”

While many commentators interpret this passage as being a reference to God dwelling in our midst, the Malbim (a nineteenth–century European commentator) invites us to consider this passage in moral terms. Rather than contemplating an actual, physical place of worship, he suggests that “each of us needs to build God a Tabernacle in the recesses of our hearts, by preparing ourselves to become a Sanctuary for God and a place for the dwelling of God’s glory.”

During this 2-year hiatus from normative synagogue attendance, each of us has come to embrace this beautiful interpretation in our own ways. COVID may have kept us from gathering in the sanctuary, but it has also challenged us to pave unique connections to God in our homes and our hearts.

As we consider this famous verse of Torah in the context of our challenges today, we are reminded of the eternal truth that God can dwell within us (as well as among and around us). It is our ongoing responsibility to nurture that inner-space so each of us can be a sanctuary for God’s presence every day.

This video clip contains a song we sing at HCRJ that helps us remember this message in a very special way.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Motto of the Month – February

Mishe Nichnas Adar marbim B’simcha

When Adar comes we increase our joy

“מִשֶּׁנִּכְנַס אַדָּר מַרְבִּים בְּשִׂמְחָה“

The month of Adar is the 7^th month in the Hebrew calendar and the 12^th month in the Jewish calendar. According to the Jewish calendar, Nisan is the first month as exodus occurred on that month and thus it was significant enough to be first. In the Hebrew calendar, Tishrei is the first month (Rosh Hashana). But regardless of its placement, we rejoice when the month of Adar comes. We celebrate the triumph of Mordechai and Esther over the wicked Haman. Approximately once every three years, a leap year (an additional month – Adar II) occurs to align the lunar months with the solar year and ensure that the holidays fall in the proper season. During a leap year, which we encounter this year, we rejoice on Adar 1 & 2. In fact, we rejoice all the way through Passover (Nisan) because of the miracles of both holidays. However, there is another explanation as to why we rejoice when Adar enters. During the times of the Temple, Jews would bring ‘half a shekel’ on the first of Adar which went towards the purchase of the sacrifice. This act of giving was a happy time, a celebration, and a value we practice today called Tzedakah .

Do you think we need holidays/past events to remind us to be happy? Yes, no, why?

How are you going to practice Tzedakah?

Email Betti your thoughts and ideas to enter a competition, the cause that gets the most votes, will be the school’s Tzedakah project for the month of Adar I and II (in addition to a prize)
betti@hcrj.org.

January 26, 2022

Dear Friends,

Our Torah portion this week comes on the heels of the climactic event at Sinai. After receiving the 10 Commandments, our ancestors are introduced to an enormous body of general laws concerning the governance of daily life. This corpus of legal material addresses some of the most contemporary and controversial issues of today, including the ethics surrounding abortion and capital punishment.

Join us this Shabbat for an exploration of these extremely important laws. On Friday night, the sermon will explore Jewish values and beliefs on abortion. At our Saturday morning Torah study, we will explore the laws that have come to shape the Jewish views on capital punishment.

Each of these Shabbat learning opportunities are being offered in-person or through our streaming services. They will also be archived for those who wish to explore these programs at another time.

L’Shalom,
Steve

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