How We Serve God
Aug 26, 2000 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Re'eh
Demonstrating uncompromising devotion to God is the theme of this week’s parashah, Parashat Re’eh. Such devotion is expressed through belief, but more importantly, through avodah, meaningful service to God. For the biblical Israelite, service to God meant loyalty to God’s commandments and participation in the sacrificial cult. For Deuteronomy, avodah referred specifically to offering sacrifices to God at a central place of worship: “look only to the site that the Lord your God will choose amidst all your tribes as His habitation, to establish His name there. There you are to go, and there you are to bring your burnt offerings and other sacrifices…” (Deuteronomy 12:5-6).
Read MoreKeeping “The Fires of Israel” Lit
Mar 22, 2003 By Ismar Schorsch | Commentary | Tzav
In a session not long ago with Seminary students on religious services, I was asked about the restoration of a phrase from the siddur that the Conservative movement had dropped as early as the 1940’s.
Read MoreThe Grandeur and Grace in Our Lives
Feb 12, 2005 By Ismar Schorsch | Commentary | Terumah
In Hebrew it is customary not to pronounce the name of God as written.
Read MoreThe Artist As Teacher
Sep 9, 2014 By David C. Kraemer | Short Video | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur
Explore the Esslingen Mahzor
Read MoreThe Day After Destruction
Jul 24, 2010 By Mychal Springer | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
The dreaded has happened. The inconceivable has come to pass. The Temple has been destroyed. Our center is no more. Our sense of safety is shattered. The world is no longer familiar. We are in a place of disorientation. So this Shabbat we begin the hard work of consolation: Nachamu, nachamu ami (“Comfort, oh, comfort My people, Says your God” [Isa. 40:1]).
Read MoreFinding a Prayer Voice
Dec 13, 2008 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Vayishlah
This past Sunday, the New York Times ran an article on praying for “God’s bailout.” Accompanying the article was an image of hundreds of worshipers gathered at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit praying for the miraculous resolution to the imminent bankruptcy of the auto industry. Gripping much of the country and the world, this recession is particularly impacting the communities of metropolitan Detroit-autoworkers, executives, and salespeople alike. All find themselves searching, through whatever inspiration and revelation possible, for an end to the financial crisis. As the article reported, “While Congress debated aid to the foundering Detroit automakers Sunday, many here whose future hinges on the decision turned to prayer” (New York Times, December 7, 2008, “Detroit Churches Pray for “‘God’s Bailout'”). Delivering a sermon entitled, “A Hybrid of Hope,” Bishop Ellis of the Greater Grace Temple said to his congregants, “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we need prayer. When it’s all said and done, we’re all in this thing together.”
Read MoreThe Wisdom of the Wilderness
Nov 3, 2007 By Lisa Gelber | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah
When I lived in Seattle, I set aside one day each summer to visit Mount Rainier National Park and hike some trails there.
Read MoreThe Power of Collective Prayer
Jan 19, 2008 By Edward Feld | Commentary | Beshallah
There are powerful moments when a community comes together, moments in which each individual feels his or her energy directed to common purpose.
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