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TBA Newsletter June 2019

June 2019

FROM THE RABBI

Where do we find hope and comfort in these times?

In May there were three separate arson attempts on local Chabad houses in Needham and Arlington while the rabbis and their families were at home. In Chicago, a synagogue was fire-bombed. Thankfully, in all cases no one was injured and there was minimal physical damage. Yet we know that there is damage — to our sense of security as Jews and trust in others, and to our social fabric as a country. Every attack on Jews for being Jewish, and on worshippers of any faith for being who they are, harms us all. Many of us are wrestling with our own fears and feelings of despair, in ways that seem previously unimaginable.

TBA Newsletter May 2019

May 2019

FROM THE RABBI

The spring Jewish calendar teaches us to be more mindful every day. We counted the omer for 49 days (7×7), as we brought grain offerings to the Temple during the barley harvest. According to rabbinic tradition, we left Egypt on Passover and are now making the journey to Mt. Sinai where we will hear the Divine voice and receive the gift of Torah on Shavuot. The two holidays are linked. We were freed from bondage and given mitzvot to guide us to living an ethical and meaningful life, and to create a responsible society. As a community, we are always on a journey, reflecting on and marking life’s cycles.

TBA Newsletter April 2019

April 2019

FROM THE RABBI

This is a version of an op-ed I wrote for the Jewish Journal. It is a message connected to Purim, but it also applies to the Passover story, and the evil of Pharaoh and what it means to defeat this kind of evil in our own time. I wish you all a meaning-filled Passover. It was Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembrance, and people from many faiths gathered on the Lynn Common. Muslims, Jews, Protestants, Catholics, Unitarians, Quakers, and Buddhists were there, not only to condemn the massacre of Muslims in New Zealand, but also to reaffirm our common bonds of love and friendship. The event was co-organized by the City of Lynn and The Islamic Society of the North Shore, but the faith leaders in attendance were well known to one another through their work with the Manna Project, The Salem Multi-faith Festival, the Essex County Community Organization (ECCO) and the Beverly Multi-faith Coalition. Though our goal was unity, each spiritual leader who spoke brought a unique perspective to the event.

TBA Newsletter March 2019

March 2019

FROM THE RABBI

HERE IS WHAT WE ALL CAN DO FOR THE EARTH

As part of the Faith Science Alliance, I recently gathered with over 100 multi-faith leaders and scientists working on climate change. I have personally been overwhelmed by the urgency of the international reports and scientific evidence. This gathering inspired hope that I want to share with all of you. When people who have a common purpose come together, the greatest change can happen. The FSA will focus mostly on local issues and Massachusetts legislation – and there is a lot to do here in the Commonwealth. This “overwhelm” that many of us feel is one reason I applied for a grant from Combined Jewish Philanthropies to help organize the North Shore Jewish Community to work together around climate action and sustainability. Another reason for the grant is to build community across organizations that are working in isolation

TBA Newsletter February 2019

February 2019

Rabbis Message

There is a lot going on in the world. This is a time when a spiritual community – and friends and family and neighbors who care – are so important. I am writing this article just before Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. We have 90 people signed up to join us for Social Action Shabbat and Tu B’Shvat dinner, honoring Jim Younger with the Leah Shriro Honor for Social Action. Community programs are happening across the North Shore on MLK Day to bring people together. All of this is hopeful and meaningful as we join together to honor on King’s message and how we can work for justice and love.

TBA Newsletter January 2019

January 2019

Join the TBA Social Action Committee for a celebration for all generations. This year MLK Day coincides with Tu B’Shvat, an ancient celebration of trees and spring in Israel which has become a celebration of our connection to and responsibility for our natural world. Our annual Social Action Shabbat theme is sustainability, environmental justice, and will include cooking and sharing a meal together. The Leah Shriro Social Action Honor recognizes members who represent the best of TBA through their community involvement. The 2018 honoree will be Jim Younger for chairing the Social Action Committee for seven years and inspiring Tikkun Olam (world repair). He has also been the heart and soul of the Pe’ah Garden, which provides food for people in need as well as values-based learning for our children. The honor is named for TBA member Leah Shriro, a founder of the Social Action Committee and a longtime volunteer within the temple and the community. It was created in 2016, the year after Leah’s death, as a way of recognizing the selfless work of the unsung heroes among us.

TBA Newsletter December 2018

December 2018

From the Rabbi

Happy Hanukkah. This is a time when we celebrate miracles – a small band of rebels defeated a great army, and oil lasted for eight days. While the Torah includes accounts of plagues, parting seas, and manna from heaven, the Hanukkah story is much later. It is found in the book of Maccabees, and is a very different kind of miracle. The Sefat Emet, a Hassidic commentator who lived during the 19th century, wrote, “…when God performed a miracle for our ancestors, they would be sustained by it for some period of time. When the light of that miracle vanished, God would have to perform another for them.” He is referring to those gigantic miracles in the Torah. TBA Bulletin December 2018

TBA Newsletter November 2018

November 2018

FROM THE RABBI

In March of 2016 the TBA Board of Directors unanimously voted to accept Temple B’nai Abraham’s Seven Guiding Jewish Values, guiding us as a Jewish community. I want to bring them front and center again during these tense times, as a reminder of who we are, what we stand for, and what we strive to do. Ken Hartman’s article in this bulletin about a facilitated dialogue embraces several of them. As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude for all of you, who make this community so wonderful. I wish you and your families a meaningful and joy-filled holiday.

TBA Newsletter October 2018

October 2018

It was wonderful to celebrate the New Year with so many of you.In my Rosh Hashanah sermon about our tradition’s teachings about the preciousness of each and every child, I mentioned 4 pressing issues in our congregation and larger society, and ways to work on them, and you will continue to hear about all of them this year.

One is extraordinarily pressing, as it is coming up for a vote in November. What I am sharing here with you about
Question #3, protecting transgender people’s rights, is in line with the MA Board of Rabbis, the Anti-Defamation League, and is a similar message to what many MA rabbis are sending their communities. As religious not-for-profits we not only can take stands on issues, but are called to do so by our tradition, especially concerning human rights.

TBA Newsletter September

September 2018

As I write this message it is Rosh Hodesh, the new moon and first day of Elul, the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah. According to tradition, this is a time to begin to prepare spiritually for the High Holy Days. We blow a shofar at weekday morning services as a sort of alarm, to wake us up,to begin what is called heshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul. Are there relationships in need of repair? What shifts or changes do I need to make to live more in line with my values and my soul’s calling?

Today is also the one-year anniversary of the horrible events in Charlottesville, VA – what was billed as a “Unite the Right” rally. We are haunted by images of torch carrying white men chanting, “Jews will not replace us” and of one driving a car into crowd of counter protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many. According to the F.B.I. and the AntiDefamationLeague – hate speech and crimes are indeed on the rise – which we know if we are paying any attention.