Hear Our Voice

Scene: A Random Bar

Characters: God and Moses

Setting: Moses initiates the first fundraising campaign, with God serving as Moses’ fundraising consultant:

God: Moses, you know this Tabernacle is gonna cost a few shekels.

Moses: Well, it was Your idea to make it light and portable, yet dynamic and beautiful enough to do You proud.

God: Now, don’t blame me. These people have the pyramids...Read more...

Dear Shma Koleinu,

Thank you.  Thank you 1000 times, thank you. You have made this possible.  You didn’t inherit this congregation from your parents or grandparents, or the many anonymous founders who came before.  Houston didn’t “need” another Reform congregation but you decided it needed something new.  We are not funded by a long accruing endowment or generational gravity.  We are the Mishkan, the...Read more...

The Torah portion this week, called “Toldot,” revisits the story of the seeds of sibling rivalry. This oft-repeated theme in Torah and some of the greatest literature ever written, is laid out this week in a matter of verses. First, Rebecca struggles to become pregnant and even rails against the heavens over her deep distress from being unable to bring a child into the world.  Next, we no sooner learn that she is pregnant with twins...Read more...

Monday, I introduced a new theme for 10@Noon, “Shame and Vulnerability.”  This is our third “theme” since we embarked on this venture of a 10-12 minute online gathering of those seeking some spiritual solace, and perhaps inspiration, on a weekday basis. 

We started with two of the middot, characteristics taught by our Musar tradition: “Humility,” Anavah and “Patience,” Savlanut.  One leads into the...Read more...

On Rosh Hashanah, which I know seems like eons ago, I spoke about the power of Humility. I referenced a story from the Talmud that serves as an origin tale for the prayer, Avinu Malkeinu.  The “Cliff Notes” version of the story is that Rabbi Eliezer was praying for rain and try as he did, he was unsuccessful in softening the heart of the Holy One of Blessing to bring rain to a thirsty landscape and people.  Once Rabbi Eliezer...Read more...

Rabbi Morris Joseph teaches that when faced with the passing of a loved one, we often frame it as a “loss.”  But the truth, because death is, well, 100% ubiquitous… that perhaps we should seek to reframe our loss as a “lack of the gain” we were so fortunate to have had.  That because every one of us does indeed have a “sell by” date, that is fortunately left off the “package” of our own lives, the humility of the...Read more...

Intro by Rabbi Scott

"So Holly reaches out to Susan Nerlove with an offer she couldn’t refuse (in my head, I’m hearing these words a la “The Godfather.”) 

"In the really lovely blog post that follows, written by Susan, she suggests that perhaps I might possibly weigh in on the Jewish view of the right to vote and...Read more...

I don’t think I have felt this unmoored and simultaneously excited about the High Holy Days since 1994, when, as a second-year rabbinic student, I found myself planning for my first High Holy Days in Merced, California. Merced, they say is the gateway to Yosemite, but for me at that time, Merced just represented the gateway to “H” “E”, “Double Hockey Sticks.”

I remember a feeling of dread that was ironically...Read more...

Today is the 7th day of the month of Av.  In 2 days from now, the minor Jewish holiday, Tisha b’Av (the 9th of Av) will arrive and with it, an ancient encouragement to live our life differently that day in light of historical tragedies of the Jewish people.  It is taught that the destruction of the First and Second Temples, as well as the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, took place on this date.  It is a date that lives in...Read more...

Bottom line, the reason why we must declare, “Black Lives Matter!” is because for far too long our society has acted as if they don’t. And yes, I too have found myself barraged by emails and social media posts sharing the examples of BLM protesters, for reasons that still remain unclear to me, engaging in anti-Semitic tirades.  I don’t believe I have to offer you examples, if you are Jewish or express interest in Jewish causes...Read more...