Jewish Journey
As we entered last Shabbat, our community welcomed three new Jews into our midst. The two adults are people who have been living Jewishly and as part of Jewish community for quite a while, and the distinction between them and those of us who were born Jewish had become as thin as a fingernail.
Water’s Nourishment
Last week, I mentioned the change in the Amidah that speaks of the descent of summer’s dew, and how extraordinary it is to see how the flora of the Flathead Valley manages in the dry heat of summer.
Tamuz Summer
In the rhythms of Jewish time, and our biblically derived holy days and festivals, summer is a hot, dry span between the early harvests and abundance of Pesach/Passover and Shavuot (meaning weeks and arriving seven weeks after the second night of Passover), and the late harvest of Sukkot, preceded by our Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe – Rosh HaShanah through Yom Kippur). So too, in the Flathead Valley.
At the Confluence of Av and Awe
I have started this Shabbat message several times already. I have been thinking about the confluence of our 4th of July holiday and Shabbat Korach (this week’s Torah portion is all about a populist leadership rebellion).
Summer Spirituality
When folks around the country ask me about our Glacier Jewish Community, I explain that, just like pluralistic, pan-denominational Jewish communities anywhere, we are an eclectic bunch. What is unique about our Jewish community, from my perspective, is that its members live in Northwestern Montana – surrounded by mountains, extraordinary natural beauty, and vast vistas of land and sky.
Honoring Rabbi Ellen Bernstein
This piece is offered in honor and memory of my beloved teacher, mentor, and friend, Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, z”l, whose love of ecology, nature, science, and Judaism gave birth to an ever growing community of Jews connected deeply to our roots in the wisdom of Earth and our partnership with her and the Divine Abundance.