As we prepare to delve into the meaning of struggle, hope and relief with our Pesach festival, take a moment to discover the struggle, hope and relief that the JDC brings across the globe with Dov Ben -Shimon’s blog. Dov will speak at RS Wed., April 30, 2014 at 7:00 pm–please join us!
Practice the Four Questions!
Practice the Four Questions with Cantor Frankel and prepare for seder with these resources.
Have a sweet Passover!
Resources for a Sweet Passover
Get inspired about Pesach’s meaning for today with this commentary.
Check out this interactive seder plate to help you prepare your own.
Try a creative new Pesach recipe.
Practice the Four Questions.
Let us know if you can host a member or want to be hosted for 1st Seder.
And if you are ready to pull out the post-it’s and prepare to lead your own seder (go for it!), here’s a list of Haggadah suggestions, from most in-depth to most simple…
Seeds of Bravery
Rabbi Bill Kuhn delivered this d’var Torah last Shabbat and interpreted how we can all be “Brave!” Last weekend was “Shabbat Parah” the first Sabbath after Purim, which highlights the connection between the holiday of Purim (last Saturday p.m./Sunday) and the festival of Pesach, which comes exactly 30 days later.
There are a lot of connections between these two holidays especially in perhaps the most important theme of courage. The bravery of Queen Esther who convinced King Ahasuerus to save the Jews from Haman (Boo!) and the courage of Moses who stood up to Pharaoh and said “Let my People go!”
So Purim is the time to begin preparing ourselves for Pesach and to prepare ourselves to be brave.
This is why we chose this them for our Purim video. It is done to the song called “Brave” by popular singer Sara Bareilles. I’d like to thank Cantor Frankel for conceiving of this idea, and Rabbis Maderer and Freedman who helped organize, edit and produce this.
How Do You Recharge?
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
Brave! Purim 2014
It was a spirit-filled Purim at RS! Enjoy this year’s brave video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDx5yl_PRUk
One in Five Jews Say They Have No Religion: Applying Pew’s Lessons to the Future of Rodeph Shalom
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
Would You Stop for Beauty?
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
Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month
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
Doing and Understanding the Meaning of Our Lives
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
