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.
Shleimut/Wholeness by Sara Markovits
Temple Beth El
09/08/2017
Sitting in front of my boss, reflecting on my past school year, the truth rang forth: Sara, I think that this really shook you. It ...
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Shleimut/Wholeness by Philip Schreibman
Temple Beth El
09/08/2017
“Wherever you go, there you are.” It’s no accident I show up wherever I go, right? Whether in Target parking lots, the hallways at work, ...
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Shleimut/Wholeness by Rabbi Morton Kaplan
Temple Beth El
09/08/2017
Often, the anticipation of an event brings more pleasure and meaning than the event itself. Our expectations are more than the event can provide, and ...
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Am I whole? Am I at peace? by Rabbi David Powers
Temple Beth El
09/08/2017
If a person loses a limb can they be whole? If so, what about two limbs? If one cannot be whole with a lost limb, ...
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Perfect the Way You Are, And A Little Broken Too by Rabbi Asher Knight
Rabbi Asher Knight
09/07/2017
The TaNaKh (Hebrew Bible) is filled with Jewish leaders who lived their lives with various types of physical disabilities and emotional struggles. Isaac suffers from ...
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Help the Hurricane Harvey Recovery by Rabbi Asher Knight
Rabbi Asher Knight
08/31/2017
As the full magnitude of the devastation created by Hurricane Harvey becomes clear, we are working with the Union for Reform Judaism and other partners ...
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R’fuah/Healing by Anonymous
Temple Beth El
08/30/2017
My healing began with a knock on the bedroom door. Many knocks, actually. A few soft taps at bedtime one evening, then the next night, ...
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R’fuah/Healing by Allen Sherman
Temple Beth El
08/30/2017
I have always prided myself in not letting a few aches and pains slow me down. I spend as much time as possible with kids. ...
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R’fuah/Healing by Courtney Rosenthal
Temple Beth El
08/30/2017
My days are surrounded by sounds. The rhythmic beeping of machines, the puff-and-blow of ventilators, and the urgent ringing of alarms. I am a trauma ...
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R’fuah/Healing by Michael Norman
Temple Beth El
08/30/2017
The scene: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 1966-67. I was senior pediatric resident on the cancer unit, run by a well known but aggressive and abrasive ...
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R’fuah/Healing by Raizel Kahn
Temple Beth El
08/30/2017
My triplet boys weren’t due until late September, but in early May 2007, I went into labor. I was only 20 weeks pregnant, and the ...
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Elul Continues with R’fuah (Healing) by Rabbi Dusty Klass
Rabbi Dusty Klass
08/30/2017
If Elul begins with ahavah – love, it continues with r’fuah – healing. When we allow ourselves to build relationships grounded in love, be it ...
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A Message from Rabbi Knight: How can we help the victims of Hurricane Harvey?
Rabbi Asher Knight
08/29/2017
Dear Friends, If you are like me, you have read or watched the news about the unprecedented disaster developing in Texas. I have been in ...
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Stripes, Not Squares by Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas
Cantor Mary Thomas
08/28/2017
When I was a child, I often thought about infinity. I remember spending time imagining the vastness of the universe, of time and space, and ...
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Ahavah/Love by Howard Olshansky
Temple Beth El
08/26/2017
We don’t often think of it in this way, but the Hebrew word Ahava has its roots in the concept of giving…giving at an intense ...
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