A Five-Year-Old’s Friend, Ukraine, and Our Extra Shabbat Souls
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear friends, I’ve been sitting for a while with the events of the last week — the confirmation of the deaths of hostages: the Bibas children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, ages four years and nine months when kidnapped; and their mother, Shiri; alongside peace activist Oded Lifshitz — may their memories […]
Standing at the Shore Together
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear Friends, It was fun for our community to get profiled this week in the Jewish Exponent! I hope you’ll check it out and share. Meanwhile, I wanted to share with you the D’var Torah I offered this past Shabbat on the eve of long-time member Evan Schwartz Chrismer becoming Bar Mitzvah: […]
The Power of Community in Challenging Moments
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I had hoped this week to simply share with you the D’var Torah I delivered this past Friday night to welcome our 61 new member households who joined over the past year, on the experience of entering a new community, and on the importance, in Jewish tradition, of welcoming and togetherness. […]
How Prayer May Bring Change – Not How You Might Think
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I’m writing to share the remarks I delivered at this past week’s Friday night Shabbat service, which you are always encouraged to attend — a peaceful conclusion to the week and initiation of Shabbat, celebrated through song, community, reflection, and prayer, and then, of course, food: I’ve shared a […]
Aheinu — Holding Space for One Another
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar One English word used today to describe the work of a rabbi is “pastoral.” Pastoral is a word whose origins derive from the nomadic, shepherding origins of our people, and today it refers to a form of accompaniment — to, as Rabbi Dayle Friedman writes, offering “a spiritual presence to people […]