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Thank You for Allowing Us to Serve
As we write this final letter as your Co-Presidents, our hearts are filled with gratitude and pride. Serving this community has been an honor and a privilege. Together with you, we have achieved significant milestones and strengthened the foundation of Temple Shalom. Policy and Procedure: We streamlined policies and procedures, improving efficiency and record keeping.…
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Rabbi’s Column: A Plea for Please
Guest Rabbi Dr. Laura Lieber In multiple places in the Torah, God says “please” (na) to human beings: God asks Abraham to “please” sacrifice Isaac in Gen. 22; He asks Moses to “please” ask the Israelites to despoil the Egyptians in Exod. 11; and in Num. 12, God asks the Israelites—in what seems to be…
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Providing a Place of Return
Welcome and thank you for joining us and Temple Shalom for our high holiday observance. As we have prepared for these services and the new year, we’ve been thinking a lot about what Sammi Stinson wrote in her beautiful high holiday drash. During this time of year, we often focus on“t’shuvah, t’fillah, and tzedakah, which…
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The Strength of Esther
March is Women’s History Month, an annual time dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is also the time that we celebrate Purim, the story of strong women in Jewish history. The story focuses on Esther, who, like us, lived in the diaspora of her time. Often…
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Israel is Turning 75
This year marks a momentous occasion for Jews around the world: the 75th year of the establishment of a Jewish State. Although we do not officially celebrate Israeli Independence until the spring, this month we want to highlight Temple Shalom and Reform Judaism’s commitment to Israel. I (Erin) can’t help but reflect on the various…
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Shana Tovah
As we welcome the new year, we are focused on community and the concept of chesed – a primary ethical virtue in Judaism. Like many Hebrew words, chesed doesn’t translate directly into English. It is more than just kindness, it is loving kindness. It is also more than just an idea. It is the act…
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Jewish Values: Chesed
As the Hebrew year 5782 draws to a close and we gear up for the High Holidays, Jews all over the world naturally begin a period of reflection. As we at Temple Shalom continue our focus on community, we must also consider the values that are central to our community, our kehillah kedosha. Chesed, the…
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Learning from our Past to Build the Future
Tishah B’Av, observed on the 9th (tishah) of the Hebrew month of Av, is a day of mourning the destruction of both ancient Temples in Jerusalem. For many in modern times, we understand Tishah B’Av as a day to remember the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history and to reflect on…
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Reinforcing Kehillah
As Temple Shalom moves into a new fiscal year with a new board and leadership, we want to take the time to say thank you to Sharon and Toby for all the work they put in and all they accomplished during the last two years. They became co-presidents of Temple Shalom during a period of…
