Rabbi's Corner

  Just last Shabbat, as the winds were howling outside the sanctuary, we discussed what Shabbat could mean for people today. We looked at new and perhaps unorthodox ways people are bringing a form of Sabbath into their lives and how necessary it is. It’s both timeless and timely, as culture critic Judith Shulevitz has just come out with a book... [Read more of this post]

The storm of this past weekend has turned Stamford into a virtual war zone. The storm killed 2 locally and cut power to 80000. Estimates are that about 30% of the homes in the area are without power. Schools have been cancelled for the day and the mayor robo-called everyone yesterday to tell us to stay off the streets. I was out at the time, cruising... [Read more of this post]

Please find Rabbi Hammerman’s “Guide to the Perplexed,” detailing Passover preparations in a user-friendly way, by clicking on http://joshuahammerman.blogspot.com/2010/03/here-is-my-guide-to-passover.html.  Hametz selling forms can be found there as well.  The Rabbinical Assembly guide can be found at http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/docs/Passover%205770.pdf Happy... [Read more of this post]

Some say I’m the Top Banana at Temple Beth El. Others claim that we are a Banana Republic. Well, this past Saturday night, for Purim I was literally a Banana (that’s Rabanana to you!). I explained that we are going Green, and I was green just a few days ago. It was a great Purim. Here I am above, with some seventh graders and Mara, all... [Read more of this post]

My Father’s Chupah,by Joshua Hammerman  Special To The Jewish Week The questioner was an African-American high school student — not Jewish — playing the role of Tevye’s daughter Chava in an astonishingly multicultural production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” one that brought together more than 100 students of all ages from 24 private and public... [Read more of this post]

Why visit Israel?  Here are 25 reasons culled from various sources*  1) Visiting Israel takes you higher. It heightens your senses. It heightens your awareness. It heightens your sense of self. It heightens your faith. And it heightens your sense of identification with a land, thousands of miles away, a land that is so very dear to us all.  Experience... [Read more of this post]

Our new adult ed series, TBE To-Go got off to a nice start with our first discussion section  covering the first four podcasts of the series, “From Israelite to Jew.”  This section will be repeated next Shabbat morning at 8:45, as part of our Synaplex Shabbat.The next discussion section will take place on Sunday, December 6, at 10:30,... [Read more of this post]

 Week after week, our students come forward to explain the deeper meaning of their Torah portions, connecting them to their lives.  Here are many of those given this year, included (with permission) with the most recent ones at the top.  To go back to earlier ones from 2008, click here and scroll down. Tuesday, October 20, 2009 TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah... [Read more of this post]

The Mitzvah Initiative classes will focus on the following questions: 1. What are the relationships and responsibilities that give my life meaning and purpose? 2. How can I express these thoughts in an authentically Jewish way? 3. What sources of Jewish wisdom can expand my thinking? 4. What might I learn about the source of my feelings for Judaism... [Read more of this post]