Category Archives: Judaism

Back!

Judaism

Shalom, ya’ll. I’m back to blogging and happy to be here again! Look for more posting to come.

May your days of counting the omer be filled with learning, friends and an awareness of the gifts of everyday.

Hafsakah

Judaism

I will be unable to blog until early May, so see you again with new posts when we are counting the Omer. Feel free to read old post, search and connect through the links until then.

L’shalom (wishing you peace).

B'nai Mitzvah Students

Jewish Education Resources, Judaism, My work as a Rabbi

One of the things which I enjoy about the rabbinate is the opportunity to teach people at all ages and at various levels of knowledge.

This past shabbat a young person who I have been teaching (as rabbi of the congregation and sometimes his classroom teacher as well) since he was 6 years old became a bar mitzvah. What a joy it is to be part of a youngster’s life (in an appropriate way), contributing to their sense of Judaism and their Jewish identity.

Today, I worked with 4 other b’nai mitzvah students (including a dad who is learning to lein (chant torah) along with his son!). Encouraging them to continue studying Torah, to persevere through the challenging elements is one of the aspects of teaching/tutoring which comes up almost constantly. I hope that the hours I spend with them adds to their learning, their sense of self, their pride in being Jewish and their later life as Jewish adults. B’eztrat Hashem (G-d willing).

May our teaching increase learning and love of Judaism.

Rabbis & Imams Praying Together

Judaism, Muslim Blogs

Wonderful, hopeful news out of Brussels in Sunday’s Ha’aretz. On Wednesday, Rabbis and Imams prayed together (following a moment of silence) for the tsunami victims. The participants spoke of the spontaneity, joy and camaraderie of doing so. Read all about it in the article.

Also hopeful is the fact that the rabbis and imams had been together to seek means of greater involvement for religion in quietening the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

May these efforts in peace, coexistence and understanding continue and grow.

An Auspicious Anniversary

Judaism

Today is a significant anniversary for rabbis, especially female rabbis. On this day the first woman in North America worked as a rabbi. (Regina Jonas worked as a rabbi in Germany before she was murdered by the Nazis.)

Jewish Women’s Archives gives the details on thier This Week in Jewish History site.

On December 12, 1950, Paula Ackerman became the interim “spiritual leader” of Temple Beth Israel in Meridian, Mississippi after her husband, who was the congregation’s rabbi, passed away. In 1919, Paula Herskovitz had married Rabbi William Ackerman. As a rebbitzin, Paula Ackerman was an active partner, not only teaching in the Hebrew school and helping out with the sisterhood, but also taking her husband’s place in the pulpit whenever he was absent or ill. Ackerman was also a member of the board of the Reform movement’s National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS) and chairman of NFTS’s National Committee on Religious Schools.

Read the rest of the story here.

Formal ordination of women as rabbis by accredited and recognized rabbinical schools began in 1972 when Hebrew Union College ordained Rabbi Sally Priesand. (Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1973 and Jewish Theological Seminary in 1985.)

Hag Urim Sameach

Judaism

Happy Hanukkah!

May these days be filled with light, joy and pride for you and yours.

The many ways to spell Hanukkah].)
Huge collection of Hanukkah resources at My Jewish Learning.
How to light the candles
Hanukkah service for the home
Text studies on Hanukkah.
Hanukkah and hunger, connecting our celebration with those in need.

Hanukkah music from around the world.

Hanukkah Food (a.k.a – the fried food festival)
Sufganiyot (Thanks Rinat for a link to the picture.)
Sufgagniyot recipe
Hundreds, if not thousands, of latke recipes (quite a few of which I made last year – yummmmm.)