Holidays – Rodeph Shalom

HaKarat HaTov: Jewish Thanksgiving and Jewish Living

Discover more Jewish values on raising kids who are responsible, grateful and menschy with money on Tues., Nov 29, when NY Times money columnist Ron Lieber speaks.

When this year’s Slichot speaker, Dr. Dan Gottleib of WHYY hosted his final weekly Voices in the Family last year, he focused the show on gratitude. As callers thanked Dr. Dan for giving them something– courage or patience or thanks… he responded (paraphrased) “I don’t give anyone anything that isn’t already there. It’s about seeing what’s already there.”

Seeing what’s already there– this is Judaism’s approach to Thanksgiving. One Hebrew term for gratitude is “hakarat hatov.” Continue reading

Can a Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Light the Menorah Together? Hanukkah Candlelighting in Rittenhouse Square

Join us for the Center City Kehillah Hanukkah Candlelighting in Rittenhouse Square, Tues., Dec 8, 5:15pm!

“Since when is Hanukkah so important?” I once heard someone ask a rabbi. “Sukkot is important, Pesach is important, Shabbat is important, but Hanukkah is such a minor holiday! Why do we give in to the Christmas culture that identifies December as the time for an important holiday?!”

“Well,” the rabbi responded, “it’s true that Hanukkah is not particularly important compared to other Jewish festivals. It’s a minor holiday that gets a whole lot of attention. But, if Jews are creating happy Jewish memories and experiences around a Jewish holiday, who are we to take that away?” Continue reading

Choosing Gratitude

Last week, Dr. Dan Gottleib of WHYY hosted his final weekly Voices in the Family. He focused this final show on gratitude. As callers thanked Dr. Dan for giving them something– courage or patience or thanks… he responded: “I don’t give anyone anything that isn’t already there. It’s about seeing what’s already there.” (paraphrased)

Seeing what’s already there– this is Judaism’s approach to Thanksgiving. One Hebrew term for gratitude is “hakarat hatov.” The word thanks isn’t even in there. Hakarat hatov means “recognizing the good.” The good is already there. It’s our mitzvah, our sacred action to, call it out. Why is it so important to call out the good — to see what’s already there?

One response comes from Ron Lieber, a Reform Jew and the author of The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous and Smart About Money. Lieber believes that saying grace is one of the single best things parents can do for their kids — no matter what god you do or don’t believe in. He explains there’s a link between gratitude and lower levels of envy and depression, because gratitude helps us to feel a sense of satisfaction, a sense of enough. Continue reading

High Holy Day Service Options for Families at RS

High Holy Days Services for Families with Young Children

Contemporary Multi-generational Morning Services

Requires a “pass”; please contact Catherine Fischer cfischer@rodephshalom.org to become a member or prospective member and get a pass.

Rosh Hashanah: Mon., September 14, 8:30 am

Yom Kippur: Wed., September 23, 8:30 am

A full service for adults; yet a family-friendly atmosphere with children of all ages. Clergy, congregational choir, and guitar lead accessible music, encouraging participants to join in. Designed for all ages, the informality provides a comfortable setting for families with young children and there are activities for the children during the sermon.

Tashlich Service at Fairmount Waterworks
Mon., September 14, 1:30pm
640 Water Works Drive Philadelphia, PA 19130
Cast away your sins with breadcrumbs. Open to all.

Afternoon Mini-Service for Families

Open to the community; no charge, please just bring photo ID for security.

Rosh Hashanah: Mon., September 14, 3:00 pm
Yom Kippur: Wed., September 23, 8:30 am

A very brief service for families of very young children and their parents and grandparents.

A Purim Tale by Ben-Zion Friedman

MEGILLAH GEOGRAPHY

Once aPUN a time

King OSH-KOSH of the UNITED KINGDOM was HAVANA good time .

PEKING toasted ; ” YEMEN , SERB up SAMOA wine . let’s TAIWAN on . ”

The tipsy king asked Queen Vashti : ” KENYA dance the hoo-chee koo-chee . . without your NEW JERSEY ? ”

Vashti shouted : ” NORWAY ! :

PEKING ordered : ” You CONGO . ”

After she GHANA way , PEKING’s men went ROMAN for a YOUNGSTOWN girl .

PEKING SPOKAN said to Esther : ” On a scale of one-to-ten , you’re the only TENNESSEE .

I’d like to CZECH YOU OUT . ”

Counting the Omer: To Go Up the Mountain and Really Be There

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent%26rel%3D0%26showinfo%3D0

This Tuesday evening-Wednesday, June 3-4, the counting of the Omer concludes and Shavuot arrives with our Shavuot Night of Study (7pm). For all of you who have been counting the Omer with us, or tuning in for some of the experience, this is a wonderful time to reflect. What has it meant to turn back to the liberation story of Pesach, to look forward to the revelation story of Shavuot, and to consider on each day, the present moment where you stand?

Judaism offers a great many opportunities to pay attention to the present moment. Some would say that such taking notice is the primary purpose for Jewish ritual. Ritual stops us in our tracks, helps us to notice the bread we are about to eat, the Sabbath about to arrive, the Ten Commandments we are about to embrace. Without ritual we are at risk of inhaling bread, moving into Friday evening, returning from work on June 3, without noticing.

As we celebrate the revelation at Mt. Sinai, consider Exodus 24:12: “Moses went up the mountain and he was there.” A Hasidic teacher notices: “This seems redundant: if Moses went up to the mountain, of course he would be there. However, this is proof that a person can exert tremendous effort to reach the top of a mountain, yet without being there. He may be standing on the mountain, but his head may be elsewhere. The main thing is not the ascent but being there, and only there, and not to be below at the same time.”Continue reading

Counting the Omer: The Lighter Side

http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/video/seths-story-seths-jewish-enough/2776163

For Lag b’omer custom teaches us to lighten up the Omer intensity a bit with picnics, bonfires and celebration. Enjoy!

Baruch Ata Adonai, Elohenu Melech ha-olam asher kidishanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu al s’firat ha’omer. Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Ruler of the universe, who makes us holy with sacred actions and enjoins us to count the omer.

Hayom shloshah ushiloshim yom, shehem arbah-ah shavuot vachamishah yamim la-omer.

Today is 33 days which are 4 weeks and 5 days of the Omer.

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.

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

Everyone’s Steps to Repentance

You can picture the daily scene: A father yells in anger as his daughter comes home in the middle of the night, after hours of drinking. The entire household touched by her alcoholism, they begin to isolate from some friends, tell protective lies to other friends, and close down emotionally to one another.