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Congregation Beth Israel
53 Lois Street
North Adams, MA 01247
1-413-663-5830
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“Love the stranger…”
From The Rabbi, Tikkun Olam“…A northern Berkshire host team of volunteers has come together to support a young family fleeing from Haiti, a married couple with two young children under the age of three…”
Touching Eternity: Emor 5783 / 2023
Divrei Torah“This week’s Torah portion, Emor, gives us a roadmap for the spiritual flow of the Jewish year….”
From the Rabbi – May 2023
Community, From The Rabbi, Newsletter, ShavuotLate this month we’ll reach the festival of Shavuot. When the Temple stood Shavuot was one of the Shalosh Regalim, the three big pilgrimage-festivals when we would travel en masse to Jerusalem to make offerings at the Temple. Shavuot is the culmination of the seven weeks of counting the Omer, and was once a harvest festival. (It still is, among Jews who farm.) But today Shavuot is best known as the holiday when we celebrate receiving Torah at Sinai.
Caring for Our Earth
From The President, From The Rabbi, Pollinator Garden, Tikkun Olam“…Wise and compassionate stewardship of our land has been a Jewish value ever since the Garden of Eden. In this era of climate crisis, it’s important to care not only for our grounds, but also for the local ecosystem of which we are a part.
Here at CBI we’re doing a few different things to live out this Jewish value…”
Guest Post: Finding Freedom and Hope in a Time of New Beginnings
Divrei Torah, PesachThis guest post is the D’var Torah that CBI member and cantorial soloist Ziva Larson offered at Shabbat and Pesach Morning Services on Saturday, April 8, 2023.
April 2023 | Nissan 5783
From The President, Newsletter, PesachI am writing to you from Hong Kong, where Roger and I are spending a delightful month visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and young grandsons. After a 4 year pause in being able to travel here, it is wonderful to spend time with them and to celebrate Passover together. We look forward to being part of their synagogue’s Community Seder at the same time as we will miss being with you at the CBI Seder. Happily, our enduring Jewish traditions bind us all together, wherever we may be across the globe.
From the Rabbi – April 2023
From The Rabbi, Newsletter, Omer, Pesach, Spiritual LifeThis year the month of April opens with Pesach. I love all of the shining moments around the wheel of the Jewish year, but ever since I was a kid, Pesach has been one of my favorites. (And it still is.) Studies have shown that the Passover seder is the one Jewish ritual most commonly celebrated in this country — from Jews who aspire to experience Shabbat each week, to Jews who may only engage in one avowedly Jewish celebration per year, this one is always on the list.
Take a Lamb: Shabbat HaGadol 5783
Divrei Torah, Pesach“…Granted, change may not be easy. Our spiritual ancestors went from Pharaoh’s frying pan into the fire of forty years of wilderness wandering. But the fact of a new path is hopeful even if the path is hard. Because nihilism and despair and paralysis say: nothing’s ever going to be different. What’s broken will always be broken and can never be mended, so it isn’t worth even trying. But it is worth trying…”
Hate Has No Home Here
Community, From The Rabbi“…If we’re feeling uncertain about how we’re going to get to a better place than this, we’re in synch with our ancient spiritual calendar. The story of the Exodus is one of venturing into the unknown. It’s a story of stepping into the sea, not knowing whether or how the waters would part. I take heart in remembering that now, as then, we don’t have to cross the sea alone….”
To Be In Community: Vayakhel-Pekudei 5783 / 2023
Divrei Torah, LGBTQ+ Rights“…Those who seek to take away rights tend not to stop after taking rights or self-determination away from a single group…”
Second Night Community Seder 5783
PesachSign up now for our Second Night Community Seder!
Absence and Presence: Tetzaveh and Shabbat Zachor 5783 / 2023
Adar, Divrei Torah, PurimWho’s named and who’s not, what it means to remember (and forget) Amalek, and what this week’s Torah portion and Purim ask of us.
From the Rabbi – March 2023
From The Rabbi, NewsletterRabbi Rachel’s March newsletter column — about Purim, and how our actions reflect us, and good things coming.
March 2023 | Adar 5783
From The President, Newsletter, Pesach, PurimThough winter has not yet lessened its grip, we know that under the snow and ice, early flowers are popping up and foreshadowing spring.
Guest Post: “Constructing Sacred Boundaries: An Exploration of the Enclosure Around the Mishkan”
Contemplative Practice, Divrei Torah, From The Rabbi, Guest PostsThis guest post is the D’var Torah that CBI member and cantorial soloist Ziva Larson offered at Shabbat Morning Services on Saturday, February 25, 2023.