Tag: #worship
practice, belief, temple, prayer, God, ritual, Torah
Every1Counts: Day 47
May 16, 2018 2 Sivan, 5778
TONIGHT IS FORTY-SEVEN DAYS, WHICH IS SIX WEEKS AND FIVE DAYS, OF THE OMER
Judaism is both a religion and a race. It’s an imprint I carry with me everywhere. I was taught to hate prejudice. I was taught the values of loyalty—the values of family. Even though I was not fortunate enough to go to college, I was certainly embedded with strong Jewish values of education and learning, no matter what the form. …We are small in number; our impact has been incredible.
…I must say [my] trip [to Jerusalem] really hit home to me. The very flavor of Jerusalem stayed with me long after I left. I liked all the people of the region, including the many Palestinians I met. I felt a sense of belonging and I thought a lot about my late parents, who would have loved to step on that soil.
Larry King
(King, Larry. I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl, edited by Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl, Jewish Lights Pub., 2005, pp. 51–53.)
Every1Counts: Day 45
May 14, 2018 29 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS FORTY-FIVE DAYS, WHICH IS SIX WEEKS AND THREE DAYS, OF THE OMER
What being Jewish means to me are the stories in the Torah, and the lessons we learn from them. It is the holidays we spend with family and the traditions we hand down generation to generation. It is the respect and responsibility for each other and ourselves that our parents and grandparents taught us. It’s about knowing when you’re all together that you will spend the first 15 minutes talking about the route you took to get there and the last 45 minutes just saying goodbye.
I like that being Jewish is about following ideas and values—not following one person. I like that Judaism encourages questions and dialogue, not blind faith.
Being Jewish is being constantly evolving but rooted deeply in the past.
Melissa Baer
Every1Counts: Days 42 & 43 (a double portion because it will soon be Shabbat) – copy
May 11, 2018 26 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS FORTY TWO DAYS, WHICH IS SIX WEEKS, OF THE OMER
Being Jewish means having a community such as our TBA community to call home – a place that is so much more than a house of worship – it’s our home…complete with our second family where together we celebrate our simchas and also help one another through the toughest of times. TBA is both our house of worship and a second home.
The Wilson Family
MAY 12, 2018 27 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS FORTY-THREE DAYS, WHICH IS SIX WEEKS AND ONE DAY, OF THE OMER
*We are posting this response today, so you do not have to use your computer/phone on Shabbat.
Being Jewish is my identity just as it is being an American woman. It is also my connection to all of the generations of Jews who came before me since we share many of the same experiences. The idea of appreciating not eating on Yom Kippur to understand what that may be like for another person (even though we know there is a break-fast to go to), or to enjoy the simple beauty of lighting candles, and the shared experience of eating Matzah for a week. My Grandmother exemplified this feeling when during her last days she shared that she wasn’t sure who or where she was, but she knew she was Jewish.
J.M.
Every1Counts: Day 40
May 9, 2018 24 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS FORTY DAYS, WHICH IS FIVE WEEKS AND FIVE DAYS, OF THE OMER
To me, being Jewish means:
- Knowing that I am part of a chain of tradition that goes back generations
- Knowing that I am not the last link in the chain
- Feeling comfortable that I can enter a sanctuary anywhere in the world and know what is going on and how to participate
- Feeling guilty that I do not go more often
- Being proud to be of Am Yisrael
- Appreciating foods that everyone loves (brisket, bagels, blintz, babka) and foods that everyone loves to hate (borsht, herring, gefilte fish, chopped liver)
- Taking to heart that it is my responsibility to help repair the world
- Being an active member of our community
Herb Baer
Every1Counts: Days 35 and 36 (a double portion because it will soon be Shabbat)
May 4, 2018 19 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS THIRTY-FIVE DAYS, WHICH IS FIVE WEEKS, OF THE OMER
For me, being Jewish means a living, breathing connection to a peoplehood that spans time and place. I find these connections in my family, my spiritual practice, my learning, the people I meet and know, and the creation of my art. All of these threads infuse who I am and the home I have tried to create for my children so that they will have this same connection no matter where they go or eventually put down roots. I feel a sense of both responsibility and fulfillment, of intense pride at being an active part of our collective memory, history and culture.
Alix
MAY 5, 2018 20 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS THIRTY-SIX DAYS, WHICH IS FIVE WEEKS AND ONE DAY, OF THE OMER
*We are posting this response today, so you do not have to use your computer/phone on Shabbat.
Judaism is all about community for me. Being Jewish means that I am part of a large community of people who have shared understandings and beliefs. The community of people who came before us passed down the knowledge and traditions of Judaism. There is a community of people with shared history and traditions, who you meet everywhere you go. The synagogue community is there for prayer, for support, for celebration, and for friendship. Within the synagogue community are a community of friends and my chavurah family. No matter where I go, I’m connected to the Jewish people around me…because we are all part of the Jewish community
Jen G.
Every1Counts: Day 34
May 3, 2018 18 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS THIRTY-FOUR DAYS, WHICH IS FOUR WEEKS AND SIX DAYS, OF THE OMER
The first synagogue I joined as an adult burned to the ground within weeks after joining it. Only one item was rescued–the Torah scrolls from Prague that had survived the Holocaust. The ensuing rallying round of local people, Christian churches, and synagogues in neighboring towns, as well as the support of the wider Reform Jewish community, aided our small congregation to stay the course and struggle to build a beautiful, new sanctuary.
The intervening years of Shabbat worship and holiday celebrations held in our modest social hall with our beloved Torah (with high holy days and b’nei mitvah held in local churches and synagogues) reinforced for me that being Jewish is something we carry in our hearts and minds and express in caring for and supporting one another, even as we lived without the physical comfort of the synagogue which we eventually rebuilt and came to enjoy —a lesson not lost on our children who came of age during that time of loss and rebuilding.
Liz Ross
Every1Counts: Day 32
May 1, 2018 16 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS THIRTY-TWO DAYS, WHICH IS FOUR WEEKS AND FOUR DAYS, OF THE OMER
Being Jewish means belonging, family, tradition, zedaka and Tikun Olam.
It manifests itself in a thousand ways, both for the individual and for those around her or him, near and far.
It happens during Hanukkah on a plane, drawing a Menora on a napkin and “lighting” the candles with a checkmark of a pen.
It happens by saying Kadish for 38 family members who perished in the Holocaust.
It happens by building a Torah Ark for the alternative services.
It happens with celebrating holidays with family, writing one’s own Hagaddah.
It happens by caring for and supporting Israel.
It happens by acting like a mensh.
Yishar Koach
Ari Delevie
Every1Counts: Day 30
April 29, 2018 14 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS THIRTY DAYS, WHICH IS FOUR WEEKS AND TWO DAYS, OF THE OMER
Joining TBA is just the beginning. TBA is one of the blessings of my adult life.
Women’s Circle, a new venture was just starting and it was a wonderful way to meet so many members. Everyone participated and you were also invited to share ideas and lead the group discussion, (and I did).
[When I was] two years in, [I joined]…the Adult B’nai Mitzvah class. This introduced more intense study of the HolyDays, prayers/prayer book. Becoming an adult Bat Mitzvah was a long time wish and now [it was] a reality. It was an honor to chant Torah and to make new friends. Another great gift was Rabbi Teluskin’s “Guide to Everyday Jewish Living.” An easy read full of Jewish Thoughts and life’s guidelines. I recommend this book often.
Counting the Omer allows us to concentrate on how to live/appreciate our best life, plus Tikkun Olam. Being Jewish and part of the TBA family enhances relationships, worship and prayer, learning, sharing, and it is a wonderful, warm Community. Led by learned, warm clergy, weekly Shabbat services are a joy! AND these are some of my blessings.
Ina BH
Every1Counts: Days 28 and 29 (a double portion because it will soon be Shabbat)
April 27, 2018 12 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS, WHICH IS FOUR WEEKS, OF THE OMER
As my country struggles to preserve its moral center and maintain its democratic values, I am able to find comfort and solace in my Judaism. For me, being a Jew means to not stay silent; to speak out in the face of injustice, bigotry, racism, and misogyny to name a few. Social justice is a core tenet for a Reform Jew. Passover is one of my very favorite holidays in large part because it affords us, as Jews, to reflect on our own journey from slavery to freedom and in so doing we are faced with our own reality of how people in our country and in the world remain “enslaved “ for a multitude of reasons and unjust practices. I honor my Judaism and thereby myself, my family and those who came before me, when we raise our voices for justice and challenge ourselves around our Seder table to reflect on these issues and ask ourselves what are we going to do to make this world a better place?
Liza K.
April 28, 2018 13 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS TWENTY-NINE DAYS, WHICH IS FOUR WEEKS AND ONE DAY, OF THE OMER
*We are posting this response today, so you do not have to use your computer/phone on Shabbat.
In this melting pot of a country people frequently ask, “What are you?” Most people answer that question with, “I’m Irish,” or “I’m Italian” or whatever nation is associated with their ancestry. My answer is always, “I’m Jewish.”
Judaism is an identity, a culture, a heritage and a way of life just as much as being Irish or Italian. The words, “I’m Jewish” communicate a world for people. They paint a picture of my culture, my heritage, my traditions as much just as much as the picture that is painted by being Italian or Irish.
Many people when they communicate the words, “I’m Jewish” don’t associate Judaism with the Jewish homeland of Israel. For me, Israel is there in the foreground, and any conversation about what it means to be Jewish must contain a connection to Israel. I may not possess an Israeli passport, but I am connected to the Jewish homeland, like Ireland or Italy is connected to the ancestors of those lands, no matter where they live or what their passport documents. It is this connection and the need for a country where Jews from all nations can go to be at home and at peace that informs my Jewish identity.
So while I wouldn’t answer the question “What are you?” with, “I’m Israeli,” I do hope for the day when the answer, “I’m Jewish” is associated with a background in Israel just as much as being Italian is associated with a background in Italy.
Erica Newman
Every1Counts: Day 25
April 24, 2018 9 Iyar, 5778
TONIGHT IS TWENTY-FIVE DAYS, WHICH IS THREE WEEKS AND FOUR DAYS, OF THE OMER
I was born Jewish, my parents Orthodox. On most Jewish holidays, I was not allowed to go to school. This made things difficult, and I often resented my parent’s strict rules. To be Jewish is to be different, and if you don’t think you’re different, others will think you are!
After learning about other faiths, I concluded that my Judaism allowed for questioning and change; it allowed direct interaction without an intermediary. I could question, accept, reject and even deny without fear. The sins of other religions were not my sins, a freedom which has allowed Jews to persist in spite of the many attempts to destroy us.
There is comfort when Jews feel responsible for each other. We suffer when our fellow humans suffer, and we work at creating a better world.
Maybe part of being and feeling Jewish is knowing we’re a minority. Most Jews like to pursue knowledge. Meeting challenges becomes part of our being. We’ve hoped and prayed that our successes may change how we are perceived. It hasn’t always worked, but we do continue to strive and survive.
