Of Gates and Other Interstitial Spaces
08/10/2018 03:16:47 PM
By: Senior Rabbi Steven Schwartz
Just as the beautiful back shore curves around to the west there is an ancient looking gate. It has a small wooden tile roof, covered with moss. The wooden door is often open, unlatched, in some way beckoning the passers-by to a mythic inner sanctum. A low stucco house can be glimpsed,...Read more...
A Retired Tallit
07/25/2018 04:26:55 PM
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By: Rabbi Steve Schwartz
This article originally appeared on Rabbi Steve Schwartz's personal blog, A Human Side of the Coin, and is reproduced here by permission of Rabbi Schwartz. For more inspiring stories, please visit the Rabbi's blog.
It was purchased just before my bar mitzvah,...Read more...
Hiddur Mitzvah: Salvador Dali's "Jerusalem 3000"
07/18/2018 05:24:55 PM
By: Ben Kreshtool, Ritual Director
I have had the good fortune to visit the State of Israel several times. One of those times, I drove to Jerusalem in the early morning just as the sun's illuminating rays began to paint the sky with beautiful shades of pink and purple. As dawn broke, I stood on a hill overlooking...Read more...
Hiddur Mitzvah: Sofer's Quill and Ink Holder
07/06/2018 03:49:30 PM
By: Ben Kreshtool, Ritual Director
Independence Day, the quintessential American holiday, has a unique Jewish connection. While most of us celebrate July Fourth with a day off work, spent with friends barbequing and watching fireworks, it's important to reflect on our nation's founding. I'm struck by the...Read more...
Rabbi Schwartz's Immigration Reflections
07/06/2018 01:33:00 PM
The following is a text version of Rabbi Steve Schwartz's sermon from Shabbat services on June 30th, 2018, including Rabbi's reflections about the current immigration debate.
It has been a rough season for the Orioles, with poor play on the field and loss after loss piling up in the standings....Read more...
Friday Night Lights
06/08/2018 06:42:24 PM
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Take a look inside the Gorn Chapel at about 5:45 PM on a typical Friday night.
Up in the front rows, a family is beamingâ€"no, burstingâ€"with pride while a 13-year-old battles butterflies before saying the kiddush in honor of the next day's Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
A few rows back, some...Read more...
Jewish Values Help Beth El Couple Repair the World One Baby Bottle At A Time
05/25/2018 04:48:17 PM
Traveling to Europe is a transformative experience. For lifelong Beth El members Lauren Shapiro and Matthew Mittleman, their European vacation was more than an enriching holiday - it was the start of an entrepreneurial journey.
Shapiro and Mittleman, who first met as toddlers in preschool at the...Read more...
Hiddur Mitzvah: Beth El's Sephardic Torah
05/18/2018 02:29:19 PM
Hiddur Mitzvah is the Jewish concept of beautifying the commandment by appealing to the senses. Ornate ritual objects engage our feelings with their sounds, fragrances, tastes, textures, colors, and artistry. These aesthetically pleasing objects enhance our observation of Jewish practice and expand the enjoyment of religious...Read more...
Beth El's Guide to Shavuot
05/15/2018 03:47:55 PM
Shavuot (weeks in Hebrew) is one of Judaism's three pilgrimage festivals, which celebrates the beginning of the wheat harvest and the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai. The commandment for the Shavuot festival comes from the Book of Exodus Chapter 34:22 “And you shall observe the festival of weeks, the first fruits...Read more...
From Sinai to Social Justice: How Jewish Social Entrepreneurs Embody Torah Values
05/04/2018 05:20:19 PM
The holiday of Shavuot celebrates the Jewish people receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. When the Jewish people accepted the Torah, they entered into a covenant with God to live their lives according to specific values. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot we renew our acceptance of God's gift and reaffirm our agreement with Him. In...Read more...