Dear Friends: Why do we say the prayers that we say when we say them? It is a question that I am asked on occasion and I have actually given an adult education course called “Understanding the Siddur” twice. If you’re interested you can find YouTube videos of the class here: Understanding the Siddur (2019 Understanding the Siddur (2024) The Rabbinical Assembly is currently offering a monthly class for rabbis taught by Prof. Joshua Kulp called “Key Teshuvot (Rabbinical Respons

Dear Friends: From the beginning of Elul through the last day of Sukkot we end morning and evening services with Psalm 27. I want to take a look this morning at verse 4 of that Psalm: דאַחַ֚ת | שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהֹוָה֘ אוֹתָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵֽית־יְ֖הֹוָה כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַֽחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹֽעַם־יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵיכָלֽוֹ: “One thing I ask of Adonai -- for this I yearn: To dwell in the house of Adonai all the days of my life -- To behold God’s beauty,

Dear Friends: I mentioned to you in this space last week that I was going to attend a High Holiday Sermon Workshop in New York under the auspices of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition. If you know me well, you’ll know that it takes time for me to digest conferences I attend, but I do believe that the presentations and the materials we were given will help me as I try to address some of the things going on which are important to us as contemporary American Jews. After the presenta

Dear Friends: This coming Monday I will join about 100 of my rabbinic colleagues in Manhattan for a sermon seminar sponsored by the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition. Most organizations of rabbis have sermon seminars around this time of year as rabbis are working on their High Holiday sermons. Some are focused more on the craft or technique of writing High Holiday sermons and some are focused more on preparing sermons on a specific topic. As you can imagine, the Zionist Rabbinic Coa

Dear Friends: Thank you to everyone who led services and read Torah and haftarah while I was on vacation. Thanks in particular to Rabbi Emeritus Mark Raphael who provided backup coverage in case of emergencies, and to Rabbi Jonah Layman of Shaare Tefila in Olney for “backup backup” coverage for the three days when neither Rabbi Raphael nor I were in town. Rosh Chodesh Elul, the beginning of the month of Elul, is this coming Thursday and Friday. On the first of Elul (Thursday

Dear Friends: Yesterday, as you may know, the Supreme Court issued a 6 -3 ruling which allowed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to remove Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians. The Court’s majority held that under the law, the Homeland Security Secretary’s decision to end TPS for a particular country cannot be reviewed by the courts. I sometimes have to remind myself that the role of the courts is to decide what is leg

Dear Friends: We extend our condolences to Charlotte Strauss, Danielle Strauss, and their entire family on the passing earlier this week of Terry Strauss z”l. If you have been part of the extended Kehilat Shalom family at any time in the last two decades or more, you knew Terry. He had filled almost every office on the Kehilat Shalom board, was president of the Men’s Club, and he was ubiquitous around the shul. He will be sorely missed by us all. May his memory be a blessing

Dear Friends: We extend our condolences to Dr. Mark Komrad, Hazzan Kim Komrad, and their entire family on the passing earlier this week of Dr. Mark Komrad’s father Dr. Eugene Komrad z’l. May his memory be a blessing and may you be comforted among those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem. Please note that Hazzan Komrad will not be leading services this Shabbat due to funeral and shiva services in Florida. When I write about current issues in my Friday morning updates, I am not

Dear Friends: For the past several weeks there has been significant controversy over whether the seminaries of both Conservative and Reform Judaism should insist that their students be Zionists. Should JTS and HUC admit students who are non- or anti-Zionist? If already studying at one of the seminaries, should they be expelled? Denied ordination? Prevented from marching at graduation and receiving their degrees? At JTS the controversy was sparked when six graduating undergrad

Dear Friends: This Shabbat marks the 40th anniversary of my rabbinic ordination according to the Hebrew calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar it was June 7, 1986 but on the Hebrew calendar it was the same date as tomorrow, 29 Iyar, and we read the same Torah portion, Bamidbar, and the same Haftarah, Machar Chodesh. While it’s not typical to hold a rabbinic ordination on Shabbat, there is nothing to prohibit it either, and the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College

Dear Friends: A few updates: 1.) Later today I will be joining other area Conservative rabbis to meet with two of our Israeli colleagues from the Masorti Movement, the Israeli counterpart of our Conservative Movement (the word “Masorti” means Traditional). Rabbi Doron Rubin is the CEO of the Masorti Movement and Rabbi Mikie Goldstein is the Director of Resource Development. (Rabbi Goldstein also holds the distinction of being the first gay rabbi ordained by the Schechter Rabb

Dear Friends: We sometimes forget how rapidly means of communication have changed in our world. Here’s an interesting statistic for you to ponder: in 1994, half of the world’s population had never made a telephone call. Fifteen years later, in 2009, there were 3.3. billion mobile phone subscribers out of a total world population of five billion. Within the last few weeks I appeared in two different types of new media but in both cases the appearances were to some extent produ

Dear Friends: In one of my talks over Pesach I discussed the “real” reason for a fifth cup of wine -- one which we fill but do not drink -- at the Passover Seder and why it is called the Cup of Elijah. We have four cups because there are four phrases or promises of redemption in Exodus 6:6-7. God says “I will free you”, “deliver you”, “redeem you”, and “take you.” Then in verse 6:8 God says “I will bring you into the Land” of Canaan. The question which is debated in the Talmu

Dear Friends: This past Wednesday in place of a more formal sermon we studied a text from the Talmud tractate Pesachim. Briefly, the question arose as to what would happen if the 14th of Nisan, when the Paschal sacrifice was slaughtered, fell on Shabbat. Certain rituals override Shabbat (for example, if the eighth day of a baby boy’s life is Shabbat, the bris is still held that day) while others are moved because of Shabbat (if the 9th of Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is hel

Dear Friends: Since next Friday, April 3, is the second day of Pesach, I won’t be posting a “Rabbi’s Update” that day. In the class I am teaching on Pirkei Avot, we have been looking at materials which deal with how judges and courts should conduct themselves. For example, a court should always consist of three judges (because we learn and understand best through discussion with others who may see something that we miss, and so that there not be a tie when the judges come to

Dear Friends: There is a famous Israeli saying מה שרואים מכאן לא רואים משם ( mah she-roeem mi-kan lo roeem mi-sham, “what is seen from here is not what is seen from there”) which might be considered the Israeli version of “where you stand depends on where you sit.” Through the miracle of the Internet and of cellphone apps, I listen to the Israeli radio station Reshet Gimmel most Friday mornings. Reshet Gimmel calls itself “the home of Israeli music” and on Friday mornings he

Dear Friends: As you surely know, yet another synagogue attack took place yesterday in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Temple Israel, the site of the attack, states that it is the largest Reform synagogue in the United States. Fortunately, the only person who was killed was the attacker, a naturalized American citizen originally from Lebanon, who drove his truck through the doors, into the building, and down a hall. A fire started in the building -- news repo

Dear Friends: Our Purim celebration this past Monday night, which unexpectedly took place with both the United States and Israel at war with Iran (aka ancient Persia) was nevertheless lovely and well-attended. Thanks to Hazzan Komrad, Michael Sheib, and Jacob Sheib who chanted from the Megillah along with me; to Tom and Linda Loggie for refreshments after services; and to Linda Loggie and Wendy Schneider-Levinson for baking hamantashen. If I have omitted anyone, please accept

Dear Friends: The holiday of Purim is this coming Monday night and Tuesday. Hazzan Komrad and I will be leading our service and celebration in the Sanctuary beginning at 7 pm. The service will be on Zoom as well but of course if you can make it in person you are encouraged to do so. Please enter via the wooden Sanctuary doors rather than the glass doors by the office. Security will be present so please either bring your blue laminated Kehilat Shalom member card or remember th

Dear Friends: My grandfather, after whom I was named, was literally Hymie from Hymietown. When he was born in Ilya, Belarus, he was given the name Chaim Leib, but when his family came to the United States his first name was Anglicized to “Hyman” and he was known by the nickname “Hymie.” And like many Jewish immigrants of that era (he came to the United States in 1910 at age 17) he lived from his arrival in the US until his death in New York City -- which is also where he is b