Commitment

Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

 

April 1-2, 2022 / 1 Nisan 5782

 

Shabbat Tazria/Shabat HaChodesh

Torah: Leviticus 12:1 - 13:59

7th aliyah: Numbers 28:9 - 28:15 | Shabbat HaChodesh (on Rosh Chodesh)

Maftir: Exodus 12:1 - 12:20 | Shabbat HaChodesh (on Rosh Chodesh)

Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18 | Shabbat HaChodesh (on Rosh Chodesh)

 

“Commitment”

 

Dear Friends,

 

How do we show our commitment to our people and our tradition? This Shabbat, we begin the springtime month of Nisan, the month of Passover. This is considered the first month of the year.  It is the month of our liberation and the month when we reaffirm our commitment to God, our people, our Jewish values, and our community.  The Torah portion explains how the Children of Israel were to circumcise their male children at eight days old. The circumcision is a sign of the brit – the covenant between God and Israel. It is a sign of our commitment to our heritage and Jewish identity.

 

In addition to circumcision, there are many other ways to express our commitment to our Jewishness.  This is the beauty of the Reconstructionist path as it recognizes and encourages us to open many doors to a meaningful Jewish experience. Judaism is a whole civilization. Discover what energizes and uplifts you about being Jewish.  Celebrate each and every day.

 

Zye a Mentsch – Be a person of honor, compassion and dignity.

 

Shabbat shalom,

 

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

Being Holy

 Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

 

March 25-26, 2022 / 23 Adar II 5782

Shabbat Shemini/Parah

Torah: Leviticus 9:1-11:47; Numbers 19:1-22

Haftarah: Ezekiel 36:16 - 36:38 | Shabbat Parah

 

 

“Being Holy”

 

Dear Friends,

 

How can we be holy?  In this week’s Torah portion, God inspired the Children with the words, “You shall be holy, for I the Eternal your God am holy.”  The Hebrew word for holy is kadosh.  It connotes, a sense of being special or set aside for a special purpose.  While some believe that being holy means being better than others, I prefer that it indicate a sense of focus and thoughtfulness, intention and awareness.

 

Out Jewish tradition teaches that each of us is created in the image of God.  Thus, our purpose is to discover how we can live in fulfillment of that gift.  Our objective is to reveal how to live in partnership with God and join in making the world just, kind and safe for all who live on planet Earth.  How can we be holy? Zye a Mentsch – Be a Good Person! 

 

Shabbat Shalom,

 

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

Keeping the Fire Lit

 Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

 

March 18-19, 2022 / 16 Adar II 5782

Shabbat Tzav

Torah: Leviticus 6:1-8:36

Haftarah: Jeremiah 7:21 - 8:3; 9:22 - 9:23

 

“Keeping the Fire Lit”

 

Dear Friends,

 

When the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed, how did our ancestors fulfill the mitzvah of keeping the fire on the sacrificial altar lit? The rabbis taught that when the altar was demolished, our dinner tables at home became the new altar.  Thus, it is at our dinner tables that Judaism lives on through Shabbat meals, Passover seders, and so much more.  But where is the fire?  Some say it is in the candles that we light at festival time.  Others say that the fire is burning within us.  It is the pintele Yid the little Jewish flame that burns in the heart of every Jew.  Sometimes the flame burns low like a pilot light.  At other times it is fanned into a bright blaze of fervor. Like a coal that burns in a fire, it grows hotter when it is near other coals and cools when separated and apart.  Keep in touch with the warmth of the Jewish community and the heat of our Jewish heritage and tradition. Then indeed will we keep the fire lit within ourselves.

 

Zye a Mentsch – Be a Good Person!

 

Shabbat Shalom.

 

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

The Power of Prayer

Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

 

March 11-12, 2022 / 9 Adar II 5782

Torah: Leviticus 1:1-5:26; Deuteronomy 25:17-19

Haftarah: I Samuel 15:2 - 15:34 | Shabbat Zachor

 

“The Power of Prayer”

 

Dear Friends,

For the past two weeks, we have been praying for the peace and security of Ukraine as it faces attack for Russia.

 

What is the power of a prayer?  How does it work?  How does it make a difference?  How does it transform us?  In this week’s Torah portion the Children of Israel were told about all the animal sacrifices that were to be offered up on the altar at the Mishkan – the sanctuary tent. These animal sacrifices continued to be offered right up until the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.  After that, prayer, worship services, and Torah reading replaced the sacrificial ceremony.

 

Exchanging sacrifice with words of prayer is very significant.  Through words, we express our worries and concerns, our hopes and joys, our sadness and longing, and our vision and passions. Rabbi Kaplan wrote: “A true prayer is one the very utterance of which is partly its own fulfillment.”  Thus, when we offer words of prayer, we are already engaged in the process of self-transformation.  Simply expressing our thoughts and feelings, leads us to delve deeper into places where our prayers can be processed, considered, and possibly answered.

May our prayers for Ukraine and its people lead us to helpful and compassionate action.  Please support refugee aid organizations during this terrible crisis.

 

Zye a Mentsch – Be a Good Person!

 

Shabbat Shalom.

 

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow