The Messenger Matters
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear Friends, Last week, in our weekly Torah discussion, we discussed Parashat Devarim, the Torah portion known as Devarim, which is the first portion of the fifth and final book of the Torah. The book’s Hebrew name is also Devarim (the first Torah portion of each book of the Torah is […]
God Is Free. So Why Join a Synagogue?
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear Friends, This is a vital time in the life of our synagogue community, and that is because it is synagogue membership season. For some, the notion of synagogue membership is an old hat, a standard element of Jewish communal life. For others, it’s something of a novel construct — why […]
The Blessing Is Real. The Problem Is, Too.
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I want to take a moment to thank one particular service leader, our president, Lisa Eizen, who is completing her two-year term of service as president and continuing her lifelong role of service to Jewish community. Our presidents take on a tremendous amount of responsibility, which is why I’m so grateful […]
Why I’ve Come to Love the Annual Meeting
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Annual Meeting season is upon us. (Have five more exciting words in the English language ever been written?) While perhaps not something we’ve often imagined as part of the sacred cycle of the Jewish year, I have come to experience the Congregation Annual Meeting as a sterling expression of Jewish community. […]
Seek the Welfare of the City — and Vote on Tuesday
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Jewish tradition has long taught of the sacredness of engaging with matters beyond what today we would define as falling within a strictly religious sphere. In the Book of Jeremiah, for example, the prophet, channeling the Divine word, tells us “דִרְשׁוּ אֶת־שְׁלוֹם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר הִגְלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם,” “Dirshu et-shlom ha’ir asher higleiti […]