Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work; But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11)
If God's work can be set aside for a day of rest, how can we believe that our own work is too important to set aside temporarily?
Shabbat Minyan and Torah Study
Shabbat Minyan and Torah Study every Shabbat morning at 9:00 AM
Shabbat Blessing Introduction
Embracing Shabbat in Your Home: So you've decided you want to deepen your observance of Shabbat at home... but where to begin? To help answer that question, we've gathered together resources for you to refer to, share and enjoy.
NEW: Shabbat Blessings- see and hear a full list of blessings for your Shabbat observance.
Come welcome Shabbat with family and community. This is our spirited Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by our clergy. An early Shabbat evening service that provides worshippers with an intimate and highly participatory prayer experience.
Please note that while this service is open to all, it is not designed for very young children. Many congregants value this opportunity to pray in the early evening, making it possible for them to enjoy a family Shabbat dinner at home or with friends.
By William Berkson In the last post in this series I explained why science will always leave the door open to belief in a God who gives unity and purpose to nature and to humanity, and a God, who, when...
By William Berkson Ok, folks. I'm peeved. I'm just curious if others are irritated by this kind of thing. Last week Dr. James Dobson said that Sen. Barack Obama was deliberately distorting "the traditional interpretation of the Bible" when he pointed...
By William BerksonIn the first installment, I argued that Judaism shouldn't try to do without God, because then it will lack the power to inspire us. That raises the question of whether modern science leaves open the door to God,...
By Larry KaufmanIt's the custom in our congregation for the person who presents the d'var Torah to pose questions for discussion by the kahal, the community. Leading the discussion on Shelach Lecha, I noted that this parashah includes the commandment...
By David FairThe Reform Movement in America is well over a hundred years old. In that time, our movement has developed and expanded many customs and ways of life that reflect a culture, rich with tradition and background. Yet it's...
By William BerksonAs I was writing my second post on Israel and the Jewish community worldwide, the outstanding journalist and real 'mensh' Tim Russert dropped dead. And he was younger than me. That made me think: I'd better start posting...
Over the past 22 months, Cantor Alane Katzew, director of Music Programming for the Union, has headed a project to digitally record every line of the Torah. Using the same cantillation and tone throughout the entire project of the 5,845...
By Laurence KaufmanWe have segued to the Book of Numbers, or in Hebrew, BaMidbar, in the wilderness. The English name is a response to the census that is the focus of the first parasha. The Hebrew name, beyond referring to the...
By William Berkson Our society is now filled with anger, and with angry people who see their expressions of anger as positive, even courageous.The most dramatic example has been the harsh anger of Reverend Wright, particularly at the National Press...
By dcc Jewcy is promoting an interesting project: Jews are supposed to follow 613 mitzvot (commandments from God). Some make sense, while others seem antiquated and irrelevant. For an art installation to debut at DAWN, a special event for the...
By John Planer I don’t study these texts to discover God’s overt or hidden messages, or to discover history in the form of documented fact. Rather, I study these human documents to discover the plain meanings of the words,...
By Kathy Ruiz Goldenkranz I am a Mexican American and a Jew by Choice. My extended family, both my mom and dad’s families, were all Central Valley farm workers. At the age of 14 I worked for the United...
10 Minutes of Torah
Shabbat Resources
This Week's Torah Portion
Go here for information about this week's Torah portion.
Send mail to webmaster with questions or
comments about this web site.
