My friends, This week’s Torah reading describes the Sabbatical year, offering rejuvenation akin to the Sabbath day. Every seventh year, the Bible commands, the land is to lie fallow (Leviticus 25:2-7; 26:34-35; Exodus 23:10-12). Both the farmer and the land itself would rest. In that light, this coming year is a shared opportunity for renewal…
Emor “If one maims his neighbor, what the perpetrator did to another must be done to him. Thus, a fracture for a fracture, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Leviticus 24: 19). The statement “an eye for an eye” appears clear. But, did the Torah literally demand mutilation as punishment?…
May 10, 2017 Dear Fellow Congregants, We are closing out the fiscal year as a spiritually vibrant and financially healthy congregation. We are now focused on planning for the upcoming year and the future. Next year will be a year of exciting possibilities. You may already know that Rabbi Spitz will be going on a…
Register online at this LINK An Israel Travel Adventure Join us at Congregation B’nai Israel on Thursday, November 10th at 8pm to learn more about this exciting opportunity! Touching the Spirit & Soul of Israel October 15 – 27, 2017 Co-Sponsored by: Community Scholar Program, Congregation B’nai Israel, Temple Beth El…
Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion linked Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day, with Yom HaAtzmaut, Independence Day. Today in Israel a siren blares for a minute, as the nation literally comes to a standstill to honor those who have sacrificed for Israel to exist securely. Tonight is festivity, marking the dream fulfilled of a sovereign Jewish…
Words matter. Uniquely, the Torah describes God wielding words to create: “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1: 3). Words may also tear the fabric of relationship. creating distrust. In the Torah, the misuse of words prompts a public shaming by a hideous scaling of skin. M’tzora, the title of our Torah reading,…
Free, free at last and yet, not done. Erich Fromm, the great psychologist, stated that freedom is composed of two elements: freedom from (bondage) and freedom to (define ourselves). We define ourselves, he emphasized, by our commitments. We count the days from the second night of Passover for seven weeks (Leviticus 23:15-16). The count down…
CAMP B’NAI RUACH CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF PROVIDING CHILDREN A FUN, SAFE AND JEWISH SUMMER EXPERIENCE This summer will mark the 20th anniversary of Congregation B’nai Israel’s summer day camp, Camp B’nai Ruach. Located in Tustin, California, Camp B’nai Ruach provides children grades K – 9 a summer experience filled with exciting activities, programs and…
Matzah in Context On the night before departure from Egypt, the Israelites ate the delicacy of roasted lamb with matzah and bitter herbs, maror (Exodus 12:8). The latter two foods reminded the slaves why they wanted to leave. For matzah was lechem oni, bread of poverty [Haggadah]. When the Israelites rushed toward freedom the next morning, they placed…
Guess who’s coming to dinner I used to drive a big, blue Cadillac. Sometimes, I would hitch. Now, I have a sleek, silver Tesla. Sometimes, I ride a rusted bicycle. In the time of the Romans, when the fastest vehicle was an iron chariot pulled by a pair of muscular stallions, I would often sit…