Shabbat as Our Anchor and Honoring Our Community
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar We’re in the middle of a trying week, with a highly consequential election nearly upon us, settling down from the rhythms of the Jewish holiday season back into the traditional rhythms of our year where, week in and week out, the primary anchor we have as a spiritual community, to quiet […]
Libby Cone’s Kallat Bereshit Speech 5785
You probably have heard me, when making the blessing when called to the Torah, identifying myself as “Bat Avraham v’Sarah,” though you know I am not a convert. It’s because my Jewish journey was somewhat sparse and complicated until I got married. As an infant, I was adopted by a paranoid schizophrenic mother and a […]
Brian Mono’s Hatan Torah Speech 5785
Shabbat shalom! I want to begin my remarks by thanking the past recipients of the Hatan Torah and Kallat Bereshit for honoring me with this award. I’ve worked closely with many of you, and I’m not sure I’ve done enough yet to be included within your ranks. Thank you, Harry, for the wonderful introduction. I […]
Sukkot, Voting, and the Call to Build a Better World Together
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar We are amidst the joyous season of Sukkot — Sukkot is Zman Simhatenu (literally: the time of our joy), the season which immediately follows the Yamim Nora’im, the Days of Awe, or, alternatively, the Days of Intensity. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are days that are felt intensely: we gather, we […]
God’s Humanity: Strengthening the Relationship
Yom Kippur 5785 by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I want to share with you one of my favorite, and one of the most personally impactful, rabbinic teachings that I’ve ever encountered. An allusion is made to it in the final blessing of services today, and if you were reading closely just now in the margins […]