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On the Shabbat of March 7 -March 8 was the National Day of Unplugging. Originally conceived by a group of Jewish artists, the day is meant to help us think differently about our re-chargeable devices in order to re-charge ourselves.Continue reading
It was a spirit-filled Purim at RS! Enjoy this year’s brave video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDx5yl_PRUk
How does Jacob find meaning? How do you find meaning in our Jewish community? And how about the person who is connected to no Jewish organization, but might be on a quest for meaning? How do we listen to what it is that person seeks?Continue reading
On a cold January morning during rush hour, at a Washington, DC metro station, a man wearing blue jeans, a tee-shirt and a baseball cap takes out his violin and begins to play. Although the scene looks much like any street performance, it’s actually a stunt. This is not just any street musician. This is master violinist, Joshua Bell.
A few years ago, The Washington Post invited Joshua Bell to participate in a social experiment. They wondered: what would commuters do if they encountered exquisite music during their rush to get to work? Without realizing that they were listening to a one-time child prodigy whose intricate music was being played on an expensive violin, and who just the evening prior had commanded on average $100 a seat at the symphony hall, would people stop for beauty?Continue reading
Our congregant and community leader, Judith Creed, shares JChai resources for adults and a message about the importance of inclusion for Jews with disabilities.
When my son, Jonah, was born in 1973 and diagnosed as being disabled, the picture for people with special needs was pretty bleak. There were no social programs, synagogues did not accept special needs children in their schools, and we all were worried about the future of our kids. In 1987 a group of parents and myself got together and we opened our first group home—that would include Shabbat dinners, holidays, keeping a kosher-style kitchen and would teach our children how to live independently.Continue reading
Delivered by Rabbi Bill Kuhn this past Shabbat.
I am glad to see that you’ve all survived the 3rd great blizzard of 2014. I am sure all of us were faced with challenges of some sort or another, but it is good to gather together here in this sacred and safe place to enjoy the warmth of the spirit of our congregational family.
I have always been amazed by what happens to people when faced with a common threat. During a big snowstorm, people will help each other. You may not even say hello to a neighbor normally, but during a snowstorm, you’re shoveling their walk and checking on them to see if they’re ok. TV stations suspend their regular programming to bring you live coverage of the snowstorm and to report on how people all over the region are faring. They show film of young strapping men getting out of their cars to lend a hand to a total stranger whose car is stuck in a snow bank. A common threat can transform us from competitive, closed uncaring people into kind, compassionate loving mensches.
I believe we feel this same phenomenon when we come here to share Shabbat services every Friday night. We do feel under a common threat. Not from a snowstorm, but from a spiritual storm – a life storm. Continue reading
Are you in automatic-drive? Do you sometimes recognize a void where intention should exist? This quest is at the root of our congregation’s Jewish Meditation offerings, Fridays 5-5:30 pm, Saturdays 9-9:10am and monthly 2nd Wednesdays 6:00-7:00 pm.
There are times when each one of us must learn to relinquish the illusion that we are self-reliant and to acknowledge that we cannot do it alone. And there are times when we are able to step forward and support someone else with our compassion. As members of a congregation, we provide support and we receive support from one another. If you are a member facing a vulnerable time or health challenge or even a joyous life-change, please share it with our clergy. And if you would like to join us for fun in the RS kitchen to mitzvah -cook, shop for, or deliver a meal for a fellow member who can’t get to RS due to health, a recent birth, or mourning, please click here to sign up for RS Caring Community Mitzvah Meals!
A Yiddush story: A wealthy Jewish citizen named Reb Yitzchak is preparing his daughter’s wedding. Reflecting the ethos of the shtetl, all the poorest members of the community, including those who beg for tzedakah in the marketplace, are to be honored guests at the celebration.
However, this time the poor are tired of being taken for granted. This group of shnorrers (not a nice word—story’s word, not mine) will not be paid off by one hot meal and lip service about how beloved they are. These men and women take a stand—by going on strike!Continue reading
At the end of each book of Torah, there is a gap, a space. There is a legend that the white spaces in Torah are known as “white fire,” and the words of Torah are written in “black fire.” There is an extra amount of white fire between each book. So, last week we completed the study of the Book of Genesis, and tonight we begin anew with our study of the Book of Exodus. The extra space between Genesis and Exodus can represent a pause, a time for us to stop and think about our lives, and a chance to change, and to consider the meaning of our lives.Continue reading
