Blog

This past Sunday was Temple Sinai’s annual celebration, a far better characterization of what occurs than “annual meeting” conveys. We recognized fellow members for their outstanding contributions as volunteers and leaders, heard about the continued successes of our stellar Sinai Preschool, learned about exciting and important synagogue initiatives that came to fruition this past year, and appreciated the update on our...Read more...

This past weekend, when I spoke at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church, I was asked what, according to Judaism, makes a space sacred. I talked about people, about purpose, and about how our memories can transform a place from the everyday to the sacred. But after last night, I’m thinking about it differently. Maybe a space becomes sacred when we choose to show up in it, even when it would be easier and safer, to stay away.

The...Read more...

This Friday night, we gather not only to welcome Shabbat—not only to pray or find comfort in one another after an overwhelming week for the Jewish people—but also to celebrate someone who has been a true gift to our congregation and to our lives: Beth Schafer, and her ten extraordinary years at Temple Sinai.

We'll honor Beth throughout our Shabbat service, and continue the celebration afterward with hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and...Read more...

This week at Temple Sinai, our Shabbat Celebrating Israel, aka Blue Jean Shabbat, will carry special meaning as we mark the anniversary of Israel’s founding. In a world where headlines so often focus on conflict and challenge, it’s important to pause and remember the extraordinary story that Israel’s creation represents and the ongoing miracle that its existence continues to be.

When David Ben-Gurion stood before the world...Read more...

This past week, many of us at our seders recited the blessing over karpas, or, “fruit of the earth,” often represented by parsley. And, 6 months ago, many of us spent time in a sukkah so that we could be more in touch with our environment and engage with our fall harvest holiday. A few weeks from now we will read in the Torah how it is not only humans that are commanded to celebrate Shabbat, but every seven...Read more...

Let’s be honest: Our Torah portion this week, Vayikra, as Rabbi Ron Segal once told a student, is a bit of a “snoozer.”

The Book of Exodus gave us liberation, revolution, thunder on the mountain; Numbers will give us drama, rebellion, even talking animals. But Leviticus? Leviticus gives us... skin conditions, grain offerings, and the priestly equivalent of a cookbook.

But buried in all that procedural holiness is...Read more...

The safari in South Africa from which our family returned earlier this week was easily the most spectacular and memorable trip we have ever taken. In the months prior, countless people shared that their family’s safari vacation was the “best trip they had ever taken,” so we admittedly went with high hopes and expectations. They were exceeded in every way possible. The safari experience was awesome, awe-inspiring, and also a profound...Read more...

A few years ago, a rabbi visited a prison to lead a Chanukah service. As he lit the menorah, one of the inmates whispered, “Rabbi, this is the first time I’ve seen a candle in years.” The prison prohibited open flames, but for this one sacred night, they made an exception. The man stared at the flickering light, his face a mix of awe and longing. “I forgot how much light one small flame can bring,” he said.

This week’s...Read more...

When we pray for something from the depths of our souls, desperately hoping that certain news won’t come, as the very thing we feared materializes before us we are left to grapple with a profound sense of loss and sorrow. Our hearts are broken by the devastating news of the deaths of Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas. While acknowledging the ongoing tragedy of the 1200+ people murdered on October 7, the hundreds of IDF soldiers who have fallen...Read more...

A synagogue is known by three names: Beit Knesset, a House of Gathering, Beit Mikdash, a House of Learning, and Beit Tefilah, a House of Prayer. We have all experienced Temple Sinai in each of these ways at some time or another. Did you know that we are also a House of Support? While our clergy team is always available to support you during your best and most challenging times of life, we have members dedicated to supporting you as...Read more...

Freedom is a complicated thing. In Parashat Bo, we see the Israelites on the cusp of liberation after generations of slavery. But it doesn’t come with a simple snap of the fingers. Instead, it’s a messy process, punctuated by plagues, Pharaoh’s stubbornness, and the Israelites’ own hesitations. And yet, in the midst of this chaos, the Torah introduces something remarkable: the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a...Read more...

For more than a week now, we have watched with an aching sense of helplessness the devastation of biblical proportions caused by the Greater Los Angeles fires. Along with the tragic loss of life (24 individuals as of this writing), more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, a synagogue, and other structures have burnt to the ground since last Tuesday when this catastrophe began. Included among the devastation are the homes of close to 400...Read more...

At times, it can feel as though life is a zero-sum game. We may be led to believe--whether directly or indirectly--that we must compete for life’s finite resources. Judaism, however, teaches us something very different. 

One of the most beautiful and instructive things about candles is that they can spread the flame to other candles without diminishing their own light. During this Festival of Lights, when the days are the...Read more...

This past week has been profoundly heart-wrenching for the Atlanta Jewish community, as we mourn the tragic death of Ari Manuel “Manny” Pargman.

While I did not have the privilege of knowing Manny personally, I am incredibly moved by the heartfelt stories and tributes shared by members of our Sinai family. His death is a devastating reminder that members of our community are silently...Read more...

Last week, for the first time in a long while, I stepped out of my “Bubble.” While I love my Bubble and the amazing people and places that fill it, I realized that I had been walking around with my eyes closed for many months.

With Janie Fishman, the lay leader who leads Temple Sinai’s refugee efforts, we drove 16.7 miles to what felt like the other side of the planet. We drove to...Read more...