Nitzavim: Standing With, Standing For, Standing Together by Rabbi Dusty Klass
In a Torah portion familiar to those of us who have begun thinking about the High Holy Days (welcome to the rabbinate!) we read the following words: “Atem nitzavim hayom, kulchem – You stand here this day, all of you, before Adonai your God…” Last Thursday, I drove to Raleigh for the launch of Nitzavim: […]
Unpacking Boxes: Discovering & Understanding by Rabbi Asher Knight
The Mishnah relates a lesson about creation: “Human beings mint many coins from the same mold, and the [coins] are identical. But the Holy One strikes us all from the mold of the first human and each one of us is unique.” (Sanhedrin 4:5) I love this text because it reminds me that each of […]
Giving is a Blessing by Candace Naliboff, Director of Congregational Engagement
I love to give. I am passionate about giving, and whether it’s baking cookies for my new neighbors, helping in the Urban Ministries soup kitchen, or giving money to a worthy cause, I get such great pleasure from feeling like I am helping. It’s a good thing too, as it is also something we, as […]
The Power of Reframing, or “What I Learned in Yoga This Week” by Rabbi Dusty Klass
A few weeks ago, I signed up for a month-long membership trial at a yoga studio in town. My first class was a weekday afternoon class, so I wasn’t expecting a full house. By the official class start time of 3pm, we had about half of the room filled. After a few minutes, I looked […]
Sh’ma Yisrael: Listen Israel by Rabbi Asher Knight
On the third Shabbat of this month, we will read a verse of Torah that is better known than any other in our scriptures. Recognized as the watchword of our faith, the verse contains six Hebrew words: Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad Listen Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One. Venerated by centuries […]
Accidental Intertextuality and You by Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas
You are in your car. That song from the summer of your senior year comes on the radio. What happens? Do you rock out? Do you sit back in your chair at the red light and sigh a little? What’s the sigh about? Is it because you remember what it felt like to be young […]
Creating Sacred Space with Sacred Sound by Cantor Andrew Bernard
Sacred space can be created in many different places and in many different ways. You don’t need to be in a Sanctuary to find yourself on holy ground. Standing on an ocean shore watching the sun rise or set over the water can be a sacred experience. Being in a hospital room witnessing a birth […]
The Journey Home by Rabbi Asher Knight
I arrived in Charlotte having spent three days on the road with my good friend, Mike Sims. Mike is the Vice-President of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, my previous congregation. Over the last nine years, we partnered together on many projects. We taught confirmation and led the annual class trip to Washington DC. When Mike learned […]
Happy New Year (again)! by Cantor Andrew Bernard
Marking time is very important in Judaism. Time is, in fact, the first thing in the Torah that God declares “holy.” Throughout six days of creation, the topography of the earth, the celestial bodies, the plants, insects and animals all appear and are deemed “good.” The pinnacle of the process, the creation of human beings, […]
