By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
Seven weeks after Pesach begins, we encounter the festival of Shavuot. Pesach, as we repeated more than a few times at the seder, is the celebration of our liberation from slavery. With an outstretched hand and a mighty arm God, with the assistance of Moses, brought us out of slavery into freedom. But freedom from slavery is not […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
As we begin the Maggid portion of the seder, the time when we tell the story, the leader lifts up the three matzot that have been set aside and recites, “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.” And as the reading continues, the leader says, “This year we […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
Why IS this night different from all other nights? Four more questions: 1. The wicked child. Much has been made of the wicked one, the one who says, “What’s all this stuff to you guys?” By saying “to you” he or she’s apparently excluding him or herself from the census of the Jewish people. Is that really true, or, […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
Why is this night…? Pesach is the most widely celebrated holiday among American Jews. And why not? There’s lots of food and lots of talk, two things Jews regard highly. Oh, and questions, and who doesn’t like a good question or four? So I thought I’d ask four for your enjoyment: 1.In most Haggadot Moses’ […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
He was having the vacation of all time up there on Mount Sinai: not an iota of stress, the unmistakable sense that everything was a-ok. He was spending time with the best friend a lawgiver could ever have, and Moses had never felt better. Even some chronic pain that had recently taken residence in his […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
Of dogs and cats and critters like that: when you see your neighbor’s donkey lying under its burden Is it not uncommon on the Zoom with you folks these days to see a critter or two cross in the background of someone’s rectangle, or even into the foreground. Usually a dog or a cat, these animals […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
This week’s Torah portion contains the Ten Commandments. I first saw the Cecil B. DeMille blockbuster The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston when I was around six years old. DeMille took the biblical tale and gave it the full star treatment. The actual giving of the Ten Commandments in the movie was full of thunder and lightning […]
By cbsc in Uncategorized
Congregation Beth Shalom is happy to provide you with a unique opportunity to fulfill two mitzvot of Purim this year: the giving of tzedakah and Mishloach Manot–Sh’lach Manos, or sending packages of food to friends. You can honor your Beth Shalom friends and support your synagogue while following this wonderful tradition. For more info and […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
Today, Thursday, is the festival of Tu B’Shvat, the fifteenth of the Hebrew month Shevat, the day we celebrate the vast world of trees among which we are blessed to dwell. It’s a festival that has found deep resonance among our people for many centuries. The 16th century Kabbalists of Tsvat in northern Israel took what was mainly […]
By cbsc in From Rabbi Cohen
The central idea of the Jewish tradition is the concept of the messiah. I’m not sure how many Jews think about the messiah other than that we well know that messianism dominates Christianity. But if you’ve not considered this, trust me. It’s true. In Judaism, of course, messianism is different from Christianity, but critical nonetheless. […]
