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Congregation Beth Israel
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North Adams, MA 01247
1-413-663-5830
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Guest Post: Ashira L’Adonai – I Will Sing to God
Divrei Torah, Guest Posts, Spiritual LifeThis guest post is the D’var Torah that CBI member and cantorial soloist Ziva Larson offered at Shabbat Morning Services on Saturday, January 27, 2024.
The Habit of Extending a Hand: Bo 5784 / 2024
Divrei Torah, From The Rabbi“…Nobody can bootstrap themself. Our work in this life is to free each other…”
Don’t Let Despair Win: Vaera 5784 / 2024
Divrei Torah…Rev. King taught that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” What he didn’t say, maybe because it was so obvious to him, is that it only does so when we keep bending it….
From the Rabbi – January 2024
From The Rabbi, Newsletter, Spiritual Life, Tu BiShvatHappy 2024! I love having two opportunities each year to begin again – first in the fall at Rosh Hashanah, then in the winter with New Year’s Day. Beginning again is a valuable spiritual practice, a reminder that we don’t have to be stuck in what was but rather can cultivate the promise of something new.
January 2024 | Shevat 5784
Chanukah, Community, Events, From The President, Jewish Values, NewsletterDecember was quite a month! During the week of Chanukah, we hosted and participated in a wonderful series of programs to celebrate the holiday.
Lost and Found: Miketz 5784 / 2023
Divrei Torah“[W]here Jacob seems to me to be shut-down, internally adrift, Joseph seems to emerge from the crucible of his losses with humility and increased capacity to care for others…”
Encounters: Vayishlach 5784 / 2023
Divrei Torah“When we choose to see Jacob and Esav’s encounter as genuine, we’re saying: sibling rivalry isn’t the only option. We’re embracing hope for better. We’re affirming that we want to be on a trajectory toward mutual trust, seeing each other generously, creatively visioning a shared future that’s better than our past. We can’t change Torah, but we can change the story of now. Past doesn’t have to be prologue. We can write a different ending.”
From the Rabbi – December 2023
Chanukah, From The Rabbi, Israel, Newsletter, Spiritual LifeThe big mitzvah associated with Chanukah is pirsumei nisa, “publicizing the miracle.” Tradition teaches us to place the Chanukah lights someplace where they will be seen. (Unless we fear for our lives, in which case tradition permits us to keep our light under the proverbial bushel.) We display our lights to publicize the miracle: the oil that lasted until new oil could be made; the leap of faith that led us to kindle light in the first place; the miracle of hope in times of despair.
Especially this year, holding fast to hope and to Jewish joy feels like a radical act… and a necessary one.
December 2023 | Kislev & Tevet 5784
Chanukah, Events, From The President, NewsletterThanks to all who attended the Annual Meeting a few weeks ago and approved the slate of Officers and Directors, as well as the proposed Bylaw changes. And welcome to Wendy Penner, who has officially joined the CBI Board! We had over 30 people in attendance, both in person and on Zoom.
Guest Post: One People, One Voice
Divrei Torah, Guest Posts, MusicThis guest post is the D’var Torah that CBI member and cantorial soloist Ziva Larson offered at Shabbat Morning Services on Saturday, November 11, 2023.
Empathy and Dust: Vayera 5784 / 2023
Divrei Torah, Israel“…Hurt people hurt people, and everybody in this story is hurting…”
From the Rabbi – November 2023
From The Rabbi, Newsletter, Response to Tragedy, Spiritual LifeOn the festival of Shemini Atzeret (October 7), our world tilted on its axis. Dancing with the Torah that night felt like an act of resistance, connectedness, and hope, even amidst our tears.
From Chaos to Light: Bereshit 5784 / 2023
Divrei Torah, Israel, Response to Tragedy, Tikkun Olam“…The primordial light shines in the darkness not of space but of spirit. And when God declares it good, God is saying that there is capacity for good in this world. God is saying that we can choose to create, not just to destroy…”
In response to what’s unfolding in Israel
IsraelI know that many of us are feeling helpless. My friend and colleague Rabbi Jay Michaelson notes that “The hopelessness feeds [the extremists’] narrative that there can be no peace.” I invite us therefore to resist hopelessness as best we can. There are things we can do to make things better. They may feel small, but they are real.
Israel
IsraelHow can we rejoice with the Torah at a moment like this? And yet our tradition calls us to do precisely that.