615 N. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19123 | 215.627.6747
615 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19123 | 215.627.6747
Last Shabbat, our congregant Ellen Kraftsow-Kogan offered a beautiful presentation on “Understanding Profound Moments.” Her focus on love was inspiring and provoked a lot of thought and conversation, both during the service and afterwards; we invite you to continue the discussion with comments here.
Join us to celebrate Shabbat this coming Friday, July 15 at 6:00 pm, as our immediate past president Fred Strober will present, along with Rabbi Maderer.
by Rabbi Bill Kuhn
All too often, we Reform Jews have a difficult time discussing God. Sophisticated, cosmopolitan Jews of the 21st Century cannot relate easily to the ancient biblical understanding of the God concept. Adding to the confusion is the fact that there are many ways to understand God in Judaism. In fact, there is no single, unified Jewish theology, or philosophy of God. As a result, most of us are seekers, and some of us become convinced that there is no God. Continue reading
To read Ahron Weiner’s own words about his photographs, click here.
Have you walked into RS’ Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art in the last few weeks? The new PMJA show, “Next Year in Uman: A Journey to the Ukraine,” by Ahron Weiner, exhibits photographs of Jewish men who have made Rosh Hashanah Pilgrimage to Uman in the Ukraine, to the site of Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav’s grave. As these photographs make clear, the spiritual pilgrimage happens within an Orthodox context. The beauty of these photographs lies in their subjects, who have traveled far and wide in search of spiritual community and closeness with God. The danger of the photographs is that one could misinterpret the message to be saying: This is what spiritual quest looks like; a spiritual journey is for men who look very different from you. Continue reading
Our Visioning Initiative Weekend with Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman (click here for Friday’s sermon) provided a meaningful and scholarly foundation for our community to immerse in profound conversations that will transform and deepen the relationships we share.
To engage in the Visioning Initiative, comment on what you experienced this weekend (thoughts to jog your memory, below), or contact Catherine Fischer (cfischer@rodephshalom.org) to participate in a “Face to Face” conversation, or to sign up to be trained to initiate a Face to Face. Choose 1 of 2 training sessions: Wed., March 23, 12:30-2:00 pm (bring your own lunch) OR Thurs., March 24, 5:30-7:00 pm (snacks served).
Our experience with Rabbi Hoffman revealed that Judaism is about conversations. Reflect and comment on these moments (or others) from this weekend:Continue reading
Debbie Friedman’s (of blessed memory) pursuit of relevance and meaning, written about in the last post, “Debbie Friedman: A Spiritual Legacy,” is not only an inspiration, but also a challenge. As Pirke Avot, the Wisdom of Our Sages, instructs us to do, she “turned the text over and over again,” to rediscover meaning. When we turn the text in our quest into the ultimate questions of life and meaning, we are a part of Debbie Friedman’s legacy. Continue reading
I remember a family car ride to the end of Long Island. I was 15 years old and my father decided it was his mission for me to become involved in the Jewish youth group. So he played a cassette tape over and over until I agreed. My family sat for hours in the boxy red Volvo, listening to the tape of Debbie Friedman, zichrona livracha (of blessed memory) leading a song-session at the 50th anniversary celebration of the North American Federation of Temple Youth. Indeed, I went on to become involved in the Reform Jewish youth movement. And, like Jews across the country and even the world, I was spiritually touched and changed by the music of Debbie Friedman and that of so many leaders whom she influenced. Read the rest of this entry »
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yLDgDkCeQE&feature=player_embedded]
I have always loved mazes. When I was in Hawaii a few years ago, I visited the giant pineapple maze of the Dole Plantation. When studying in England, I visited the amazing hedge maze of Hampton Court. And while on recent trip to Montreal, I was thrilled to discover that an abandoned warehouse on the waterfront had been transformed into Le Labyrinthe.
Recently, however, I discovered a whole new type of labyrinth. This summer, while at a wedding in the Texas Hill Country with my fiancée, Laurel, I came across the most wonderful thing. It was a simple path of stones that wound though a circle in an amazing geometric pattern. There were no choices of which direction to go. No difficult riddles to solve or giant scary trolls waiting to capture me. It was just a simple path to walk. As I walked the path to the center of the circle and then back out again, I found my mind wandering. Thinking of my life, how I had come to this place and where I was going. I left the labyrinth feeling refreshed and renewed.
by Rabbi Jill Maderer
“My House Shall Be Called a House of Prayer for All People.” All people? What does the prophet Isaiah mean when he says “all people?” We typically understand this phrase to be a sign of welcome into the sanctuary, and it certainly is! Yet, this summer, we will add another layer of meaning. The synagogue is a house of prayer for all people because the fullness of Jewish prayer requires not only the singular “person,” but the plural, “people.” This summer, join us for community, prayer, and disuccion, as we explore how Jewish prayer is designed to spiritually connect us in community. Continue reading
by Rabbi Jill Maderer
When I prayed with Women of the Wall (WOW) in 1996, I never imagined that in 2010, women would still be prohibited from raising their voices in prayer at the Kotel—the Western Wall, the remaining wall from the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Yet, as much as ever before, the religious extremism of ultra-orthodoxy continues to hold authority and power over all Jews in the State of Israel–from school funding to liberal rabbinic recognition– and over all activity at the Kotel. In November, WOW member Nofrat Frankel was arrested for wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) and for holding a Torah scroll. Two weeks ago, WOW leader Anat Hoffman (who spoke at RS a few years ago at our Joseph W. Rosenbluth Shabbat), executive director of the Reform Movement’s Israel Religious Action Center, was interrogated and fingerprinted by police. Her crime? Wearing a tallit, not at the Wall, but at a previously designated alternative overlooking the wall, where WOW has been holding services for years.Continue reading
As we thank God for the miracles of light and of freedom, have a Happy Hanukkah! For instructions, text and audio of the Hanukkah blessings, click here. And please join us for Shabbat Hanukkah Services on the first night of Hanukkah, this Friday, December 11.
