Israel and the Region Under Fire; A Prayer for Long-Term Peace
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I write on the heels of a head-spinning week in the news: in the span of seven days, we had an American president deploy US Marines to an American city, raising alarm bells among legal observers around the country; in response, millions demonstrated peacefully under the aegis of “No Kings;” and […]
Shards of Light, Sparks of Joy
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past Shabbat, we celebrated our last day of Hebrew School for the year. “Celebration” is relative, because our Hebrew School students bring such life and vibrancy and insight to our Sanctuary each week, so it’s always hard to see them go; I can only pray they feel a reciprocal level […]
HaMakom Yenahem: Seeking Comfort, Seeking Peace
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I woke up this morning to my wife sharing the news with me about the shooting and killing of two Israeli Embassy aides, Sarah Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington DC last night. Lischinsky had purchased an engagement ring with which to propose […]
Honoring Memory, Embracing Purpose
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I write this on Yom Ha’atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day, which immediately follows Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. Israel’s commemoration of these two days is strikingly different from their equivalents here in the United States: for starters, by connecting them on consecutive days, Israel is signaling the extent to which, over the […]
Are We All Idol Worshipers?
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This Shabbat is Shabbat Ki Tisa, Ki Tisa being the parashah, the Torah portion, with one of the most well known, or perhaps I should say notorious, episodes of the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings: the story of the golden calf. The basics of the story are straightforward: When the people saw that […]