The TBE Blog is the space where Temple Beth El’s Leadership Team members reflect on relevant topics that are most meaningful to us. Here you will find musings on everything from prayer to politics, music to mysticism and history to current day life. From our iPads, smartphones, and laptops to yours, these are the things that inspire us, keep us up at night, and fuel our own Jewish journeys.
Adult Education at Temple Beth El by Rabbi Asher Knight
Rabbi Asher Knight
01/30/2018
At Temple Beth El, our Jewish learning helps to create sacred connections inspired by Jewish wisdom. Temple Beth El has been proud of our strong ...
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Cultivating A Prayer and Meditation Practice by Rabbi Asher Knight
Rabbi Asher Knight
01/25/2018
Prayer means something different to each of us. And in each stage and moment in our lives, we may need prayer differently. Recently, our high ...
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It’s a Learning Process by Dr. Laura Bernstein, Executive Director
Temple Beth El
01/18/2018
Plagues. Plagues. And more plagues. This week’s Torah portion, Bo (Exodus 10:1 – 13:16) begins with Moses and the eighth plague of locusts. It continues ...
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Purim at Temple Beth El by Cantor Mary R. Thomas
Cantor Mary Thomas
01/11/2018
The Book of Esther – Megillat Esteir – was likely one of the last to enter the cannon of the Hebrew Bible, as late as ...
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Social Justice and Action at Temple Beth El by Jill Blumenthal (From Charlotte Jewish News Editorial, January 2018)
Temple Beth El
01/03/2018
Recently, I invited a friend to join me at a Shabbat service. He declined my invitation, explaining that at the last service he’d attended, the ...
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The Jewish Community Refugee Initiative (JCRI) Needs You! by Amy Lefkof
Temple Beth El
12/28/2017
How many Jewish families does it take to resettle a Kurdish refugee family from Kirkuk? TBE families have been helping the Omar household, which consists ...
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Speech, Silence, and #TBERace&Justice: Why We Need You in a TBE Listening Circle by Rabbi Dusty Klass
Rabbi Dusty Klass
12/28/2017
I first discovered the Jewish call for silence at age seventeen. It had been chosen as the ‘wisdom quote of the day’ at camp: “Rabbi ...
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Unpacking Audacious Hospitality by Ginny Rosenberg, President
Temple Beth El
12/27/2017
It has been my privilege to receive congregants’ feedback about Temple life during my term. While most people are full of praise for our services, ...
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New Year’s Resolutions and Revelations by Susan Jacobs, Director of Education
Susan Jacobs
12/27/2017
As Jews, we have two New Years, Rosh Hashanah and January 1st. When I was younger, I used to see Rosh Hashanah as the reset ...
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Olam Chesed Yibaneh by Candace Naliboff
Candace Naliboff
12/21/2017
Growing up, one of my favorite singing groups was Peter, Paul, and Mary. Their harmonies were beautiful, but even more poignant were the words of ...
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At URJ Biennial, We Are Reminded That We Are Not Alone by Rachel Campbell
Temple Beth El
12/14/2017
It would be an understatement to say that it has been a challenging time in our country these last several years. I don’t need to go ...
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From My Seat at URJ’s Biennial Convention by Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas
Cantor Mary Thomas
12/07/2017
For five days every two years, thousands of Jewish professionals serving reform congregations and organizations, lay leaders, and congregants come together to learn, to pray, ...
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Chanukah, Hope, and Hosting: The Youth Are Our Present by Rabbi Dusty Klass
Rabbi Dusty Klass
11/20/2017
Chanukah celebrates the proverbial light in the darkness, the hope that comes from flickering flames in the midst of a cold winter night, the story ...
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A Prayer for Thanksgiving by Temple Beth El Clergy
Rabbi Asher Knight
11/20/2017
The Torah describes the harvest festival of Sukkot as a time to give thanks to God for the bounty and beauty of the world. Our ...
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Home by Andy Harkavy, Director of Congregational Engagement
Madeline White
11/15/2017
Many people have numerous definitions for the word home. Over the years, I often asked myself, “Is home where I live or is it where ...
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