Congregation Shir Shalom and Temple Beth Zion Announce: Community Challenge Time to help the Buffalo neighborhood that was the scene of such horror last Saturday. There is an urgent need, and more in the weeks to come, for food, diapers…
Torah Thoughts – Emor – Leviticus 21:1-24:23 – “Guilt vs. Shame”
There are two emotions I hate the most: guilt and regret. Each keeps us from doing what we love or appreciating what we have. To these, I add an even more odious emotion: shame. Shame keeps us not only from…
Defensive Driving Course
Torah Thoughts – Kedoshim – Leviticus.19.1-20.27 – “Finding Holiness in the World”
For Amos Klaiman, our most recent Bar Mitzvah, holiness is listening and playing music. Watching him and his sister Lillie play piano prior to services last Saturday I could see why. To the few of us present in our sanctuary,…
Under Jerusalem
In the mid-19th century, far from being the revered hub of three world religions and the site of pilgrimage and tourism that it is today, Jerusalem was, in author Andrew Lawler’s words, “a typical midsize Middle Eastern town of its…
Goldilocks and Genesis
by Joseph Morris NASA recently announced that it has discovered over 5000 exoplanets, planets that are outside our solar system. There are many different types, including huge Jupiter-size worlds too close to their stars with surface temperatures of 2500oF. While…
Torah Thoughts – Acharei Mot – Leviticus.16.1-18.30 – “Processing Our After Deaths”
One of the hardest duties I have as rabbi is reading the Yizkor list. This list of names includes every person connected to Shir Shalom who passed in the previous year. For me it is a sad reminder of how…
Torah Thoughts – Passover 2 – “The Great CSS Calendar Crisis”
In the year 922 CE, the Jewish world was rocked by controversy, the date of Passover was in question. According to Aaron Ben Meir, an Israel based rabbi, Passover was to start that year on Sunday, April 14th. The Babylonian…
Torah Thoughts – Metzora – Leviticus 14:1-15:33 – “Dreaming of Poppy Seed Sweet Rolls”
Reading about the stories from survivors coming out of Ukraine breaks your heart. One in particular stands out: a baker by the name of Yulia Beley who recently escaped from Mariupol with her three daughters, aged 11, 6, and 3. …
Buffalo Corner Reading – November
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