- Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
…ion but is part of a matrix of observances that poetically express and reinforce certain ideals and values. But the significant role of non-rational practices in our tradition should not be an excuse for obscurantism, superstition, tyranny or anachronism. Today I have described siyag laTorah, creating a defence for the Torah through understanding the reasons for our laws and customs, as a defining feature of classical Judaism. I have suggested tha…
…going on that I do not comprehend. For lack of a better name, I call that force, that repository of meaning, “Creator,” “Merciful One,” “Holy One,” “Powerful One,” “Almighty” or simply “God.” Whatever that Force was that made the miracle of my life and consciousness (not to mention the rest of the universe), I call “Creator.” God created Man (me for sure, you probably). Three things there are, together in my eye That keep the thought of Thee fore…
…ome at-one with other people before seeking to become at-one with God. Our central prayer, the Shema, proclaims that God is One. That means not only that God is singular but also that God is all. If we cut ourselves off from God’s other children, we cut ourselves off from God. Job needs to learn, first through the humiliation of his suffering and then through the overpowering spectacle of seeing God, that he is one with the scoundrels and nobodies…
…the sins of his believers for all time. When the Temple was destroyed, the central book of our Torah was stripped of its earthly referent and its specific, tangible meaning. And not VaYiqra alone, of course, but most of Bamidbar (Numbers), from which our additional reading comes; a large portion of Shemot (Exodus), and Devarim (Deuteronomy), as well. Our world was rent asunder, smashed into a thousand pieces. The parallel of Temple worship with th…
…ep could have been listed first because of their value. Because sheep were central to the economy, people had to learn how to share water sources. When Eliezer was going to find a wife for Jacob, he met Rachel at a well where she was getting water for her sheep. Land was fought over because herdsmen needed more space to graze their animals. Most wool sweaters weigh about one and a half pounds depending on the size and thickness. The most numerous…
…ood. For this is what Hillel warned against: One who uses Torah for personal gain perishes. (Avot 4:7) For information on BEKI’s kashrut policies, see www.beki.org under “kashrut.” For communal standards, see www.kinahara.org….
Shabbat Shalom. Our Torah portion this week, Behar, contains the Torah’s central explication of the laws of the sh’mita, or sabbatical year, and the yovel, or Jubilee. I will focus on the latter, the Jubilee. As you will see, I hope to bring the yovel to a personal and community level, but first, let me put it in its larger context. The key introductory language of our Torah text reads as follows: You shall count off seven weeks of years – seven…
…es to subject them to a series of tests. I think the tests are designed to force his brothers to demonstrate how evil their motives were for trying to get rid of him. As I read the story, their real motives were very different from the motives Joseph attributes to them. I believe they sold him to the traders because they saw him as an arrogant, self centered, manipulative young man who posed a serious threat to their legitimate power and inheritan…
…15 Jan Kid Friendly Havdalah with Rabbi Eric & Annie (Zoom) January 15, 2022 5:40 pm – 6:15 pm BEKI Kids page Home Page Interior Page When children’s programs moved online for the month of January, we began gathering on Saturday nights for online Havdalah. Families can bring their own candles […] More Info…
…BEKI. Click here for a list of sale prices On view since early January, the exhibition continues through April 4. Videos of the artist discussing her work: Artist Talk, Mayim Chaiyim: A Watershed – video online excerpted from group online talks, curated by Amy Levine-Kennedy at the Koslow Gallery 2022 Techspressionist Salon #21– video online artist presentation, Cynthia Beth Rubin & Renata Janiszewska July 06, 2021 More information and additional…
