Returning home from a family vacation can often present challenges for parents and children alike.  For parents, suitcases of laundry need to be cleaned; pets that have been patiently waiting for your return need attention; and piles of mail must be sorted and read.  For children, weeks of unstructured time come to a screeching halt and the frustrations of set bed times and daily responsibilities give rise to rebellion and resistance.  No wonder few of us ever feel rejuvenated after going away for a week!

But Judaism has a wonderful solution to our need for a vacation from our vacations. . . It is called Shabbat.

Shabbat presents us with a weekly opportunity to ritualize “taking a break.”  Regardless of how we might choose to observe it, Shabbat invites us to step away from the chaos and the noise that surrounds us.  It encourages us to find a way to create emotional distance from the piles and the mess and redirect our energy toward matters of the spirit.

As this new year begins to unfold, we have a wonderful opportunity find a place for Sabbath Peace in our lives.  Of course the laundry and the mail is never going to end, and the kids will always try to resist going to bed at an appropriate hour, but if we can find a way to ritualize the quite that comes with Shabbat,  we just may find that our return to routine will be an easier and more fulfilling experience.

L’Shalom–Steve

The Jewish community in the United States has never had difficulty finding ways to enjoy and participate in Christmas.  As a child, I loved the fact that I could join my friend Brian Galloway (Irish Catholic) first thing in the morning to open his gifts under the tree and then spend the afternoon with my friend Chris Nico (Italian Catholic) with his family around the tree.  Of course, Christmas Eve was reserved for Chinese food and a movie -a longstanding holiday tradition for all American Jews.

Many of us had similar experiences growing up, and as adults our Christmas traditions continue.  Many of us have family members who are not Jewish, and we have the joy of sharing this sacred day with them.  Others may choose to spend the day bringing joy and love to the world by doing a special mitzvah.

Whatever the case may be, Christmas in America has become part of the fabric of our society regardless of our faith.  So in that spirit, I wish everyone in our congregation a day filled with love of family and friends and caring for the world in around us.

L’Shalom — Steve

Chanukah invites us to engage in eight sacred opportunities to remember the miracles that blessed us long ago with hopes that we can experience such miracles today.

Chanukah permits us to symbolically engage in an act of increasing light and joy in a world which is often darkened by pockets of injustice and conflict.

Chanukah reminds us to keep the flame of God’s spirit alive in us every day and spread blessings of goodness and hope through our everyday interactions.

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah.  As we light our first candle and continue throughout the week, may each of us realize our capacity to bring miracles and wonders into the world.  Over the course of the coming 8 days, let us commit ourselves to exploring the many ways we might bring light and joy into our lives and the lives of those who need us most.

Beckye joins me in wishing all of you a very Happy Chanukah.

L’Shalom–Steve

Dear Friends –

Chanukah is just around the corner, and, as it falls so close to Christmas this year, we cannot help but be drawn into the festive allure of the holiday season.  The lights, the music and the endless parties are all there for us to enjoy, but we must also stay focused on the timeless historical and spiritual lessons imbedded in our ancient festival.

Historically, our celebration elevates the importance of the military victory of the Maccabees in 165 BCE.  In remembering this aspect of our holiday, we consider the value in fighting for religious freedom in every age for all peoples.

Spiritually, our celebration is understood to be a celebration of miracles.  In lighting our festival lights and eating foods fried in oil, we recall the miraculous events that graced the Maccabees in their day with the hope that God will bless us with such miracles in our own day.

At HCRJ, our observances during this season will try to embrace each of these powerful themes.  Some of our programming will focus on Chanukah.  Others will take place in connection to Christmas.  All will strive to add value and meaning to this season of joy.

Please consider participating in the programs below as we glorify the miraculous and pursue justice, peace and liberty in the world around us:

Programming for Chanukah and Beyond

Hold’em Chanukah:  Email hcrj@hcrj.org to RSVP.  Reservations are due today.

 

Join us for our First Annual Hold’em Chanukah on Sunday, December 14 at 6:00.

 

Recipe Collections: 

 

Please send us your favorite Chanukah related recipes.  We are putting together a collection of holiday favorites on our website.  Main dishes, side dishes desserts and more are all welcome.  Submissions need to be received by Saturday December 13.

 

Send your recipe to Beckye Gross at rebeccasimone28@yahoo.com.

 

Chanukah Services: 

 

Our congregational celebration of Chanukah will take place at Shabbat services on Friday night December 19 at 7:15.  Special music, readings, songs and additional instruments will be used to add to the joy of our holiday celebration.

At our Chanukah oneg, we will enjoy platefuls of hot crispy potato pancakes and other Chanukah delights

 

Sunday School Chanukah Program: 

 

Our Sunday school program on Sunday, December 14 will include an interactive Chanukah experience for all of our students.

 

A Muslim / Jewish Christmas:   Wednesday, December 24, 3:00 – 5:30

 

At the River Oaks Islamic Center

3110 Eastside St, Houston, TX 77098

 

Join us for the Fifth Annual Jewish/Muslim Christamas as we gather to watch the short PBS movie entitled, Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story. This movie is a moving account of a young Muslim woman who sacrificed her life to combat the brutal domination of Nazi Germany.  In a world where tensions between Judaism and Islam can be highly strained, this movie challenges all of us to stand up for what is right and just. Please Dress Modestly

 

Xmas Mitzvah Opportunity:  Christmas Morning 10:45 am – 12:00

 

It has become an HCRJ tradition to serve a Christmas lunch and sing Christmas songs to the residents of the Turning Point Center shelter on Christmas Day.  Join us as we bring joy through song and compassion to a group that needs our love. Please RSVP to hcrj@hcrj.org or call the office at 713-782-4162.

 

 

As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to take a moment to publicly express my gratitude for a few things that bless my life every day.

As a Rabbi:

I am thankful that HCRJ is blessed with such an amazing staff in the office, in our worship settings and in our religious school.  Across every aspect of our institution, our staff holds a love of HCRJ at the core of all they do.

I am thankful for the boundless dedication of our membership and leadership.  It is because of what each of you bring to this place that makes it so special.

I am grateful for the ability to serve a community that dreams with me.  Together we have envisioned many creative ways to meet our growing demands.

As a father:

I am thankful that for the joys that come with raising four wonderful children, and I feel truly blessed to have all them all together this year for Thanksgiving and Chanukah.  I know that this will become increasingly difficult as the years unfold.

As a husband:

I am blessed with a partner in life who shares my dreams and my values.  Beckye’s boundless support is sometimes taken for granted, but I am thankful to my core for everything she does.

We all have so much for which to be thankful.  As we prepare for this wonderful American Holiday, it is my hope that an abundance of good things in our lives will bless us all.

And as we experience the blessings for which we are grateful, let us also get ready for a special day set aside for “Giving Back”.

Mitzvah Day is Almost Here:  Sunday, December 7th, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Join us as we bring our community together in the spirit of healing some of the brokenness of the world around us.

L’Shalom – Steve

It is with a very heavy heart that I compose these words, as news of the terror attack on an Israeli synagogue fills the air waves.  On Tuesday morning in Western Jerusalem, two terrorists entered a synagogue with guns and axes and attacked worshipers during their morning prayers.  The brutal murders of these four Jewish men during worship and a Druze police officer who died trying to defend them represent an escalating pattern of random violence in the Jerusalem area where relations between Arabs and Jews have been deteriorating for months.  Three of those who were killed were also American citizens.  We mourn the loss of each of these innocent victims, and our hearts go out to their family and friends.

As American Jews, our responses must be measured, moderate and methodical.  We cannot and must not allow these acts of terror to fill us with fear and hatred.  We cannot and must not allow these acts of murder to harden our hearts and close our minds. Instead, we must remain steadfast and loyal to our ongoing commitment to peace despite of the violence.

As our congregation joined together with seven different faith communities this past Monday evening, we emphasized the paramount importance of unifying with the moderate voices of faith around the world.  We challenged ourselves to rise above the tides of hatred, violence and intolerance which surround us every day and strive to establish broader bases for trust and understanding in the world.

In light of Tuesday morning’s hate driven atrocities during morning prayers, we must redouble our efforts to support our brothers and sisters in the land of Israel, while building coalitions for mutual respect and understanding here at home.

We join Jewish communities around the world in expressing ourdeepest condolences to the families whose loved ones were murdered and mutilated by the hands of hate.

We join our brothers and sisters living in the land of Israel with a growing sense of concern regarding the escalation of violence in and around Jerusalem.

We join all who are pursuers of peace in the shared sense of hope that this senseless act of terror by the hands of a radicalized minority will not override the boundless potential that continues to exist in the hands of a moderate majority.

In the days and months to come, we must continue to bring our hearts and our hands together in the pursuing ways to build bridges of trust between our communities here at home with the hope that our efforts can make a difference in the policies and realities abroad.  To that end, I encourage everyone in our congregation to make a concerted effort to participate in all of our upcoming interfaith events.

Please pay attention to upcoming bulletins and emails for information about future interfaith programming that will help us make a difference.

 

L’Shalom–Steve

At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Sarah dies and Abraham sets out on a quest to find the perfect way to honor her memory.  He finds a very special cave, called the Cave of Machpelah.  In purchasing this family burial cave, Abraham creates a monument for eternity to honor the memory of most of the patriarchs and matriarchs of our faith.

This Torah portion coincides with two sacred memorial days which were observed this week.  Veterans Day and Kristallnacht are dates set aside to find meaning and value in the sacred act of remembering.

As Americans, the sacred act of remembrance took place on Tuesday, November 11 through the observance of Veteran’s Day.  While Veterans Day was originally designed to commemorate the anniversary of the singing of the armistice, which ended WWI, today Americans seek to honor and thank all military personnel who have served the United States in all wars.

As Jews, the 76th Anniversary of Kristallnact, “The Night of Broken Glass”, represents a moment in the history of our people that marked the beginning of the Holocaust.  On November 9, 1938, the Nazis unleashed a wave of pogroms against Germany’s Jews. In the space of a few hours, thousands of synagogues and Jewish businesses and homes were damaged and destroyed. This event came to be called Kristallnacht ,”Night of Broken Glass,” because of the shattered store windowpanes that carpeted German streets.

This Friday night part of our Shabbat worship together will be devoted to the sacred remembrance as we will collectively reflect on how these two events in history have shaped our understanding of the human responsibility for the future.  Through music, meditation and message, we will dedicate ourselves to humbly appreciate the times in which we live and the fact that we live in a nation where tolerance and understanding sit at the foundation of our democracy.

L’Shalom – Steve

Dear Friends,

If you looked into the sky last night, you may have noticed a magical moon.

Interestingly enough this rather rare lunar phenomenon has a special name.  It is called a “blood moon,” as at times the moon actually appeared to be blood red.  Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that this “blood moon” occurred twice this year.  The first time was on the eve of Passover (our Spring Harvest Festival) and last night (before our Fall Harvest Festival, Sukkot).  Yes, tonight is the first night of Sukkot, and as this magnificent moon served to remind us, the Jewish harvest festivals are linked to lunar cycles.

For those who have erected sukkahs at home, the lattice roof is supposed to be built in such a way as to enable us to appreciate the moon and stars from inside this flimsy hut.  The walls, too, are to be open enough to our surroundings to enable us to connect to the natural world around us (we can do without the mosquitoes).

Sukkot is a holiday that reminds us that even though we may call ourselves the “People of the Book,” the truth is that we have always been a people of the land. Our harvest holidays of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot each mark not only an historical event in our collective heritage (the Exodus, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the wandering of the Israelites through the desert) but also a pivotal point in the agricultural calendar (the beginning of spring, the new planting season, and the last harvest before the winter rains). Every year at these critical moments we stop to take stock of where we are in relation to the earth and, above all else, we are commanded to give thanks for what we have.

For the next seven days, Jews around the world will immerse themselves into the ‘natural world’ by eating, praying, and even sleeping in an outdoor hut shaded from the sun but exposed to the starlight, and the elements. We will celebrate the festival with an ancient agricultural ritual involving the shaking of the lulav and etrog. Every aspect of the holiday serves as a powerful reminder of our relationship with God’s world and intimate connection with and dependence on our natural resources.

Whether you have a sukkah or not, try set aside some time in the coming days to step outside and appreciate the glory of the natural world.  Go for a lunchtime walk and enjoy Houston outdoors before it gets too rainy, or have a meal in the cool evening breeze.  Whatever may you choose to do, try to take time each night to glace at the moon and realize that our ancestors have been using its cycles as a way to mark our festivals for eternity.

Happy Sukkot!