Rabbis' Study Feed

Jewish Counting

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:15:35 -0400

Bat Mitzvah of Sarah Molly North

On page A3 of yesterday’s Washington Post, there was a headline that made me feel so much better:

“2012: It’s not the end of the world as we know it after all.”

Whew! I was so worried that the Mayan prediction of the end of the world on December 23^rd, 2012 -- or 21^st, depending on whose counting -- was going to mean that I...

Author: Rabbi Perlin

Best Wishes To Josh! (May KOL)

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:35:08 -0400

One of the greatest pleasures of my tenure at TBS has been the wonderful Assistant Educators/Youth Directors with whom I have worked. They have all been kind and compassionate young adults with a love for and dedication to Judaism and its future. Each one brought their individual talents and left our community even better and stronger than when they arrived. Josh Fixler is no exception. He has spent the past three years caring about our youth and working to...

Author: Rabbi Nyer

Change and Transition (May KOL)

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:59:38 -0400

Change and Transition

In the Hebrew language, there are eleven different words for “change,” other than referring to small coins, and four words for “transition,” two of which are the same as the word for “change.” One might surmise that our American understanding of “change and transition” is quite different from the Jewish ideas of such concepts. For most of our history, change occurred by force...

Author: Rabbi Perlin

A Very Special Letter From Rabbi Nyer (April KOL)

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:29:21 -0400

To My Beloved Temple B’nai Shalom Family,

It is with both joy and excitement and yet a heavy heart that I write this letter. While I was looking forward to another year together, a year for which I am so grateful to the Temple Board, an opportunity has presented itself that my family and I could simply not pass up. I have been offered the position of Director of Lifelong Learning at Suburban Temple – Kol Ami in Cleveland, Ohio. To be able to both...

Author: Rabbi Nyer

A Wild Ride Through Torah, An Experience That Won't Soon Be Forgotten (April KOL)

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:36:53 -0400

I love the curriculum that we have written for our religious and Hebrew school programs. I think it is fantastic as it offers our students the opportunity to learn about Judaism in a variety of ways and in an experiential manner. I believe that it, along with our incredible faculty and amazing madrichim, is the reason that our students love coming to learn at TBS.

Every so often, however, we are given the opportunity to leave our curriculum for a special...

Author: Rabbi Nyer

A Few Thoughts as We Begin Vayikra (from our TBS weekly email 3/23/12)

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:06:25 -0400

On Tuesday, our scribe will come to repair our four Torahs, in an effort to keep them kosher and readable. As we welcome our scribe, we have reminded our students to dress appropriately for Hebrew School on Tuesday: no inappropriate words on T-shirts, no short shorts on the girls, shirts and tops that cover all parts of one's body (no spaghetti straps, NO FLIP FLOPS (as you cannot read Torah barefoot), and making sure that hands and bodies are not written on. It occurs to me that...

Author: Rabbi Perlin

Shabbat Shalom From Tot Shabbat

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:52:37 -0500

When I am asked what it is that I like most about being an educator, my answer is always the same and always immediate. I love when a student “gets it.” I love the light in their eyes, the smile on their faces, and the pride you can feel bursting from their hearts. I love that the reaction is the same whether the student is three or ninety-three. And I love the feeling I get inside from knowing I have done my job as a teacher. It was the feeling...

Author: Rabbi Nyer

March Madness! (March KOL)

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:05:10 -0500

March Madness!

I have spent most of my life living in a household of college basketball fans. For the men in our family, March Madness was all about brackets, rather than what wild Purim costumes Mom might choose to wear for Shabbat or the Carnival. But, here at TBS, March 2012 will be a month that really brings speakers and events that exemplify the depth and breadth of the values we treasure as a congregation. I want to make sure that you...

Author: Rabbi Perlin

Do Jews Believe in Angels

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:02:22 -0500

Adult Education Sermon for A Year of Asking Jewish Questions: What’s Yours?

February 17, 2012 - Mishpatim, Exodus 23:20f.

In this week’s Torah portion of Mishpatim we read a very confusing passage. Mishpatim means “laws,” and the portion begins with almost three chapters of them, from prohibitions of stealing oxen, to seducing virgins, to Exodus 23:19, “You shall not boil a...

Author: Rabbi Perlin

A Letter To The Temple

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:25:23 -0500

Dear Members of Temple B’nai Shalom,

I wanted to write regarding the letter you received concerning my tenure at TBS. I want to let you know what a privilege it has been to be your rabbi. I am honored that you have allowed me to be part of your Jewish journey, and I am so very grateful to have been a part of this AMAZING Jewish community.

From the moment I entered the doors, you welcomed me with open arms. You shared your lives with...