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.
Alternative Chanukah Nights
Rabbi Beth Nichols
12/01/2021
Ask a Jewish kid what their favorite holiday is, and most will tell you Chanukah. And it’s not surprising. After all, who wouldn’t like a ...
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The Music Man, Larry Farber
Temple Beth El
11/08/2021
Through music and faith, Larry Farber has devoted his life to the cause of building harmony. As Rabbi Knight puts it, “Larry is synonymous with ...
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Breathe! It’s Almost Thanksgiving
Cantor Mary Thomas
11/01/2021
Elohai neshama shenatata bi tehora hi – Oh God, the soul-breath you have given me is pure. Atah b’rata, Atah y’tzarta, Atah nefachta bi – You ...
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Afghan Refugee Resettlement Assistance – We Need Your Help!
Nicole Sidman
10/29/2021
Dear Temple Beth El Community, From the beginning of the evacuation of thousands of Afghan people began in mid-August, congregants have been reaching out to ...
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Temple Beth El Is Organizing for Justice, One Story at a Time
Nicole Sidman
10/01/2021
We thought this would be a post-pandemic fall, and so we sought to learn what the pandemic had taught us, not realizing that its lessons ...
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From Jewish Study to Jewish Life
Rabbi Beth Nichols
09/01/2021
Throughout rabbinic literature we can find strains of a debate over which is better, study or action? One classic version of this argument is cited ...
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May the Sacred Season of Blessing Begin
Rabbi Asher Knight
09/01/2021
They are called the Days of Awe. But all too often the logistics of the High Holy Days take away from their power. We worry ...
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Shabbat Across Charlotte
Cantor Mary Thomas
08/01/2021
Shabbat is a cathedral in time, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously wrote. It is a palace of moments set aside for reflection, study, introspection, family, ...
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From Social Distance to Social Justice: Bringing Congregants Together
Temple Beth El
07/06/2021
Jill: In the early days of the shutdown in March through May 2020, most Friday nights I found myself logging onto Zoom around 7:30 pm. ...
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New Member TriBE
Madeline White
06/21/2021
The New Member TriBE is for congregants who have joined Temple Beth El over the past two years, as well as those who still feel new and seek a deeper, ...
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Shabbat Across Charlotte
Cantor Mary Thomas
06/10/2021
Shabbat is a cathedral in time, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously said. It is a palace of moments set aside for reflection, study, introspection, family, ...
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Counting Our Blessings and Summer Reading
Rabbi Asher Knight
06/01/2021
As I write this article, we are in the midst of counting the S’firat Haomer. So often, we count down – the days to a birthday (especially for ...
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Grateful for Our Community by Jessica Auslander
Temple Beth El
05/20/2021
Our family just celebrated our daughter’s bat mitzvah. It was an amazing milestone for our family for multiple reasons. As I reflected on her journey, I ...
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TriBE Spotlight: The Spice Girls by Beth Lewis
Temple Beth El
05/17/2021
The Spice Girls TriBE is a great group of women, diverse in our stages of life. We all enjoy cooking and baking and sharing our ...
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A Message from Clergy About Israel
Temple Beth El
05/12/2021
Dear Temple Beth El Community and Friends, We write to you with sadness and grave concern as we read and watch the news reports of ...
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