Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel

85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org

Our banner is based on BEKI’s stained glass, designed in 2008 by Cynthia Beth Rubin. For information on this and other of Cynthia’s work, go to: <a href="http://www.cbrubin.net" target="_blank">www.cbrubin.net</a>. Artisan Fabrication by JC Glass of Branford, CT
Rabbi Tilsen

The Voice of Jacob

Posted on July 8, 2014

“And Jacob approached Isaac his father, who felt him and said: ‘The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.’” The voice of our father Jacob is the voice of reconciliation, of kindness, of reason; the hands of Esau are the hands of violence, of impulse, of falsehood. As Continue Reading »

Everyone is a Winner

Posted on July 8, 2014

My Grampa Ed, of blessed memory, worked hard for his family. As a young man he worked as a traveling sales agent. After he married Gramma Esther, of blessed memory, he tried several businesses. He had a General Store in New Leipzig, ND, an egg candling operation in nearby Ashley, ND, and a clothing store Continue Reading »

Right vs. Right

Posted on July 8, 2014

You have the right to cut off your left arm and shove it up your chimney, but that doesn’t mean it is a smart thing to do. Civil and human rights are the foundation of modern civilization. I think the Bill of Rights is a great national achievement and I’m a card-carrying member of the Continue Reading »

Torah Manifesto

Posted on July 8, 2014

Although the slogan “From each according to their ability” is most often associated with Karl Marx, it comes in fact directly from our Torah. While in principle this ideal should apply to all types of contributions–wisdom, work, wealth–that each family makes toward the good of all, it was most often applied to the readily quantifiable Continue Reading »

Please Knock Loudly Do Not Ring Bell

Posted on July 8, 2014

One evening some time ago, I taped a card over the doorbell near our front door. The card said, “Please Knock Loudly, Do Not Ring Bell” because the doorbell wakes the children. At 4 AM the next morning, there was a loud knock on the door. I got up to answer it. It was the Continue Reading »

Material and Spiritual Emancipation

Posted on July 8, 2014

A Jewish definition of messiah may be based on a statement of our sages from the Talmud: “The only difference between the world today and the world after the messiah comes is that when the messiah comes we will be free of foreign subjugation.” Given this definition there are no grounds for debate with Christians Continue Reading »

The Problem of Purim

Posted on July 8, 2014

With only a few more shopping days before Purim, I’m facing the difficult decision of what to wear to the Megilla reading. I can’t wear a fake beard, because I already have a real beard. If I wear a giant nose, nobody will notice the difference. And since I’ve put on a few pounds, I Continue Reading »

My First Cousin

Posted on July 8, 2014

I am the youngest of my paternal grandparents’ twenty-two grandchildren and almost the youngest of my maternal grandparents’ fifteen grandchildren. All of us grew up in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area in Minnesota. No seder table was too long, no home was too large, no park was too spacious for our family gatherings. A week Continue Reading »

Why Should I Be Good?

Posted on July 8, 2014

Sometimes we feel like suckers (in Hebrew, “fryers”). We are playing by the rules, doing what is right, while others are not doing so and are getting away with it. I’ve been good: I am always willing to help, I contribute as generously as I can to the shul, I am honest (mostly) on my Continue Reading »

My Great-grandfather Wasn’t Orthodox

Posted on July 8, 2014

On the wall in my study is a black-and-white photograph titled “Family Reunion of Mr. & Mrs. H. Tilsen and Gertrude’s Wedding, 4 February 1923, Milwaukee.” Seated in the middle of a large group of their children and grandchildren is a distinguished looking couple, my great-grandparents, Herschel and Chaia Tilsen, of blessed memory. Visitors to my Continue Reading »