Archive | Elul Reflections

On behalf of all of the participants in this year’s Elul Thoughts, we want to wish you and yours a very happy new year. May this Rosh Hashanah bring you joy and fulfillment, peace and strength. May it be a blessed and very sweet 5778! Shanah Tovah! April Akiva R.J.E, Director of Religious School Education, […]

Rabbi David N. Young In early June, my wife Natalie went to a four-day conference, and as much as I miss Natalie when she is away, there was a part of me that was excited. I was imagining myself watching all the shows I have wanted to watch but haven’t because her tastes are different, […]

Rabbi Rachel Kort For those of us who have experienced a significant loss in our lives, we have come to expect that feelings of loss will be more palpable at certain times of the year: a yartzeit, a birthday, certain holidays. Our tradition recognizes that the High Holy Days are a time we remember our […]

Rabbi Richard Steinberg In the Torah portion, Behar-Behukotai, we read the Hebrew word “Yimachu”. There are several translations for this particular word. One commentator translates it as “heartsick”, another states “rot away”, and yet another teaches that it is “melt away”. The context of the use of this word is found in a discussion about […]

Rabbi Gersh Zylberman When I work with wedding couples, I employ a pre-marital counselling tool known as Prepare. During my sessions with each couple, we explore multiple dimensions of their relationship; we identify strengths and weaknesses, discuss personality traits, family dynamics, expectations, hopes and dreams; we practice healthy communication and conflict resolution skills. In these […]

Rabbi Alan Litwak Tonight, we will recite Selichot, the series of penitential prayers.  The Selichot service is traditionally held late in the evening, when our resistance to change is low and our sense of vulnerability is high.  It is done on the Saturday night immediately prior to Rosh Hashanah (unless that Saturday is less than […]

Today’s Elul Thought, our last Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, is a meditation to help you get ready for Shabbat and the High Holy Days, thanks to Cantor David Reinwald! Just click the link below, press play on the screen that pops up, and enjoy the 6 ½ minutes of relaxation and inspiration! http://tinyurl.com/hineiniCDR

Rabbi Stephen J. Einstein The Olympics are coming to LA in 2028!  This is big news for our region.  I remember the 1984 Olympics.  I was so fortunate that I was serving as a Camp Rabbi that summer at Camp Hess Kramer, and the entire camp was privileged  to  attend an Olympics soccer match, held […]

Rabbi David N. Young In his TED Talk, “The Psychology of Your Future Self,” Harvard Professor Dan Gilbert explains the phenomenon of the “End of History Illusion.” He explains that humans think that at any given moment in our personal development, we are finished developing. We believe that our taste in music, our favorite vacation, […]

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker In Deuteronomy (30:11-14) we find the following teaching: “Surely this Instruction (Torah), which I enjoin upon you this day, is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach.  It is not in the heavens, that you should say, ‘Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it […]