Blog

During this time of pandemic, it seems we do a lot of counting; we are acutely aware of the days and weeks we are spending sheltered in place. However, we have an opportunity to turn to our Jewish tradition to transform our counting into a countdown of hope. The period of the Omer runs from Passover through the seven weeks leading up to Shavuout. Passover represents our freedom from slavery, Shavuout celebrates God giving us the Torah at...Read more...

Throughout the generations, “Jerusalem” has been the central theme of Jewish song and prayer. Most notably, in just a few days, we will read from the Passover Haggadah and sing “B’shanah Habaah, next year in Jerusalem.” As Jews, we live every day with a sense of nostalgia, a sense of yearning for Israel, our holy city, and our sacred sites. Living so far from Israel, our sanctuaries and chapels have become the center of...Read more...

This week begins a new book of Torah, Leviticus, or in Hebrew, Vayikra, meaning “God called out.” God calls to Moses to relay to the people the kinds of sacrifices they should be offering in the Tabernacle. There are five types of offerings mentioned, each of which can have meaning to us in these extraordinary times of pandemic:

Olah – an offering of ascension. Let us rise to meet the needs of family, community and humanity both...Read more...

It has been a groundbreaking and monumental week, and not in the way we would have liked. Six days have passed since last Shabbat...that day in which we settled into the idea of what COVID-19 might mean for our Temple Sinai family. And, well, somehow, we survived the week and even braced ourselves for more weeks to come. We have made it here. As each day passed, I found myself thanking God for things that I ordinarily would never even think...Read more...

As the evolving health situation now dictates further physical distancing with stricter limitations on gatherings recommended, please note the following important changes to ritual experiences that impact the Temple Sinai community:

All Shabbat Services (Friday night, Tot Shabbat, Shabbat morning) will be closed to the public and guests. We will livestream these worship opportunities on our website here.

Whether we go to an amazing concert, take in a magnificent vista or see the wonder in a child’s eyes, we can all think of an encounter that we would deem a spiritual experience. Often, we describe spiritual experiences as moving or inspirational. In addition to those descriptions, I would invite you to look at a spiritual experience as having an opportunity to take a glimpse of yourself, your light, your potential. To have a spiritual...Read more...

We are in the middle of a series of Torah portions that describe the construction and adornment of the Tabernacle, our portable temple used by the Israelites while making their way to the Promised Land. Many of the specifications still can be seen in a modern temple. In this week’s Torah portion in particular, we learn of the Eternal Light. What does it mean to be in the presence of light all the time? What does this important feature in...Read more...

The people of Israel are standing at Sinai. They are in an unknown desert that is slowly becoming their temporary home; they have been given manna and learned how to gather and eat it; they have found water to drink; they have fasted and prepared to come to the mountain to meet God. In last week’s Torah portion, in a flurry of awesome noise and light, God gave them the 10 Commandments.

Under these circumstances, the Israelites are...Read more...

There is no way to begin to tell this story in a way that is not putting me in the role of a privileged outsider. Yet I am telling it in the best way I can.

Last week, a group of interested folks from Temple Sinai, headed by Rabbi Sam Trief, visited the Camp Stewart Detention Center near Lumpkin, Read more...

Monday marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Though 75 years since this tragedy does not feel so distant, I am struck by the notion that, soon, no survivors will remain. I grew up at a time when we heard from Holocaust survivors in religious school, at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, and at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Hearing their stories shaped me in profound ways, teaching me resilience, and instilling in me...Read more...

When I considered relocating to Atlanta, one of the things that most excited me was the city’s history regarding the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s voice echoes loudest and his light shines brightest here in Atlanta. From the Civil Rights Museum to the King Center and Ebenezer Baptist Church, Dr. King’s presence still shapes the Atlanta experience.

As the ripples from a rock thrown in the water are strongest...Read more...

Sometimes the Torah packs a lifetime of meaning into one word. 

Vayigash alav Yehuda—and Judah drew near to Joseph…” (Genesis 44).  

Judah still does not know that the Egyptian ruler who has been supplying him with rations during the famine and who now threatens the youngest of his father Jacob’s children, Benjamin, with enslavement is his brother Joseph whom he sold into slavery. Fearful for Benjamin’s...Read more...

As you read this, I will be with the Temple Sinai delegation at the URJ Biennial Conference in windy Chicago. What you may not know is that the Biennial is preceded by the annual conference of the National Association for Temple Administration (NATA). Founded in 1941, NATA is the professional organization for those who serve synagogues as executives, administrators, or managers. The organization has more than 400 members from North America...Read more...

On behalf of Temple Sinai’s Spirituality Committee, we are delighted to share this brief video featuring the four members of the clergy team discussing a favorite prayer related to expressing gratitude. Below the video you will find the texts that we reference – feel free to print them out and use them throughout this holiday weekend.

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What a delight it is to write this message. This Shabbat will be truly remarkable at Sinai for we are welcoming to our congregation noted scholar and author Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish.

Ron is the Founding Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI). Now retired, he is a noted rabbi, author, and speaker, blogger and consultant. He has lived in Jerusalem for the past 38 years. Educated at Brandeis University...Read more...