Category: Uncategorized
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Shavuot 5783: With Black Fire on White Fire
Rabbi Elliot Dorff tells the story of how he was once on a plane from Boston to Los Angeles when he struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to him. This man lived in Newton, a suburb of Boston in which many Jews live. Neither he nor his family was Jewish, but…
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Yom Yerushalayim/Jerusalem Day
Shaar Shechem Today is Yom Yerushalayim- Jerusalem Day. Fifty-six years ago today, Israeli forces entered the Old City of Jerusalem. For the first time in 2000 years, the Holy City of Jerusalem fell under Jewish sovereignty. Here is how it happened: When the 6-day war broke out in 1967, Israel was attacked from all sides.…
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Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Parash Kedoshim 5783
As many of you know last Wednesday was Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, the 75th anniversary of the State of Israel’s birth as a nation. On that day, my class from the One Year Program from Hebrew University in Jerusalem had a reunion online. In 1972 we were mostly nineteen, twenty years old, college…
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What Is Heroism: Some Final Thoughts on Holocaust Memorial Day 2023
Many of our congregants, both in person, and via Zoom attended our moving Holocaust Remembrance Service last Sunday. Before I share some of my thoughts about it, I would like to say a few words about the origins for the idea of creating a Commemorative Holocaust Day. In 1951 the government of Israel…
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Some Final Thoughts For Passover 5783
One of the central rituals of our seders comes right before the meal. We are told that Rabban Gamliel, the first century sage, held that as part of the seder we have to explain three symbols on our seder plate – the Pesach, the Matzah and the Maror. The Pesach, or shank bone, represents…
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Creating Memories at the Seder Passover 5783
What is the main point of having a Seder? Tonight, I want to challenge the idea that the seder held primarily so that we can remember the Exodus from Egypt. Despite the fact that our Haggadah says that we are obligated to tell about the Exodus from Egypt, and that “the more one tells the…
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On the Sabbath Parasha Vayakhel-Pekudai
We all know the familiar proverb, “Time is money.” But in many ways, time is not like money at all. One cannot accumulate time; one cannot borrow time; and one can never tell how much more time one has left in the Bank of Life. Time can certainly be wasted, as money can. We know…
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Dave Chapelle and the Jews (Parasha Miketz 2023)
This week in our Torah we learn about one of the most successful Jews of all time – Joseph. Although he was the 11th of 12 brothers, his father Jacob placed him above his older siblings. This, of course, led to disaster as his brothers were consumed by envy and sought to rid themselves of…
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Dwelling in Tents Parasha Vayeshev 5783
Our parasha for this week continues the story of Jacob. Of all of our Biblical ancestors, with the exception of David, Jacob leads the most tumultuous life. He struggles with his brother in the womb, deceives his father, steals the blessing reserved for the first born and must flee his home to escape the anger…
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The Joys and Challenges of Being a Rabbi
I want to thank Congregation Beth Shalom President, Michael Rabin and our vice-President Elizabeth Sigale, for organizing this night of Clergy Appreciation. Rabbis, in “Jewish”, are called “Rabbonim” and Cantors are called “Chazonim”. The word for “Jewish Clergy” in Hebrew is “Klei Kodesh”. This phrase means, “Holy Vessels”. Although Rabbis and Cantors have different…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 