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Women and Choice

11/11/2021 03:25:33 PM

Nov11

Shabbat Shalom!

I hope everyone had a great week.  Join me tonight as we continue our discussion of biblical values.  Tonight, I will be discussing “What does the bible actually say about Gender?”.  For the past few weeks we have discussed in this forum and for my sermons what the bible and Judaism have to say about abortion.  One thing struck me and was...Read more...

Jewish Values and Personal Beliefs

11/05/2021 10:24:35 AM

Nov5

Shabbat Shalom!

This past week I was invited to speak at the Methodist church at one of their Bible study groups.  During my talk I explained that what they call “the Old Testament” and we call “the Hebrew “Bible” is not “the Jewish Bible” and their New Testament the “Christian Bible”.  Rather the Hebrew Bible are our (Christians, Jews, and Muslims) shared stories and history.  Judaism (with the...Read more...

Texas Abortion Law

10/29/2021 01:32:28 PM

Oct29

Often times one of the hardest aspects of life is how fast it moves and how there just isn’t time for everything under the sun.  Issues that affect us all arise and the craziness of life pushes those issues, sadly sometimes, to the back burner.  However, the pushing back of the ability to address issues in the moment when they arise can also be a blessing.  It allows us to rekindle a fire that might have waned in the time...Read more...

Continuing Education Opportunities

10/22/2021 11:22:44 AM

Oct22

Dear TBD community,

I hope that you have had a wonderful week. 

During our morning prayers we read the following:

These are the things which a person performs and enjoys their fruits in this world, while the principal remains for him or her in the World to Come: honoring one’s parents, bestowing kindness, arriving at the study hall early in the morning and evening, welcoming guests, visiting the sick, assisting...Read more...

Cheshvan, the Shabbat of the Year

10/05/2021 12:33:17 PM

Oct5

Amanda Orgel Ferguson, a Temple president of Congregation B’nai Israel in Little Rock Arkansas, wrote an article for URJ.org about the significance of the month of Cheshvan (click here for the full article).  Tishrei, the month which houses so many holidays, is followed by Cheshvan a month with no holidays save Shabbat. In the article she shares the following teaching from her Rabbi Bruce Block:

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Triennial Cycle

09/28/2021 02:59:31 PM

Sep28

The Torah is long. It is also packed full of information. The Torah contains 5,888 (or 5,845 depending who you ask) Verses, 79,847 Hebrew words and 304,805 letters.  Rabbi Akiba believed that each of these words and letters was vitally important and packed with meaning.  Akiba believed the Torah came straight from the mouth of God.  Since the Torah came from God he reasoned there could be no extra or superfluous words. He...Read more...

Being Able to Focus on the Good

09/21/2021 05:02:23 PM

Sep21

Before we leave the high holidays behind us there's one final teaching that I'd like us to return to. On second day Rosh Hashanah I had asked Jodi Harris to deliver the sermon. She spoke about what would become our theme for Yom Kippur:  acknowledging our shortcomings so that we might focus on the good in all of us.

While the English understanding of the soul is that it is one thing, the Jewish understanding is that the soul is...Read more...

Simone Biles and Self-Compassion

09/17/2021 11:50:56 AM

Sep17

One day early in his journey in the wilderness of Sinai with the people of Israel, Moses was visited by his father-in-law, Jethro. When Jethro arrived, he saw a line miles long of the congregation of Israel waiting to meet with Moses to adjudicate cases of civil import. Jethro saw this and said to Moses, “No one person alone can take on all the problems of society.  What you are doing is too much for one person. You are going to...Read more...

Redefining Success

09/17/2021 11:48:41 AM

Sep17

How do we bounce back this year?  How do we practice resilience so we can overcome the obstacles in our way?  One answer I would like to propose is that we reevaluate our focus on what it means to be successful. Success should be the experience of satisfaction in accomplishing a goal.  When we are successful, are we often still dissatisfied?  If we do not feel satisfaction, then perhaps we are...Read more...

Responding to Suffering

09/10/2021 01:45:39 PM

Sep10

There is a Buddhist teaching that if an arrow strikes you as you wander in your garden, it hurts. However, this initial injury might not signal the end of your distress.

Even if you don’t get hit with another blow, you might still experience pain again from that initial attack.  This second pain is called the second arrow.

In June we emerged from our homes and ventured out to our garden.  We began to feel a hope...Read more...

Tue, June 17 2025 21 Sivan 5785