Category: Rabbi’s page
The quiet months are over…
| February 1, 2012 - ח שבט תשעב | Posted by Rabbi Farbman under Featured, Rabbi's page |
‘Deep winter, still winter, but the days are visibly longer. The sun is visibly brighter. In the Land of Israel, it is still raining – but the rains are beginning to slacken. Already they have filled the deepest recesses of the earth. Far underground, the roots of trees are beginning to suck at earth’s replenished breasts. Their branches are beginning to grope toward the gathering light. There is barely any change to see; there is barely any change to hear. But the turn of the year has come. The still and quiet months are over; the seed is quickening, life… more
Dreaming of camp…
| January 22, 2012 - כז טבת תשעב | Posted by Rabbi Farbman under Rabbi's page |
Happy New year! May 2012 bring you all much joy and happiness – and a little fewer snow days than last year! Together with Lew Shaffer and Bruce Spiewak I have recently attended the Union for Reform Judaism biennial in Washington, DC. The program was absolutely terrific, as always – with multiple engaging sessions, services, music and camaraderie of some 6000 reform Jews from all over the United States, as well as Israel and the UK. For the first time in our movement’s history, President Obama addressed the gathering – and if you haven’t seen his address yourself, I strongly… more
Prayer is for everyone…
| December 1, 2011 - ה כסלו תשעב | Posted by Rabbi Farbman under Rabbi's page |
There is a wonderful Chasidic story about a boy who did not know how to pray – so the rabbi advised him to recite the letters of the Hebrew alef bet. When someone protested that this would not help, the rabbi suggested that as long as the boy said the letters and put his heart and his soul in it, then God will surely put the letters in the right order… Our tradition constantly reminds us that we have to try and have both the kavannah, the intention to pray, and the keva, the formal liturgy. We struggle to bring… more
Building the community…
| October 5, 2011 - ז תשרי תשעב | Posted by Rabbi Farbman under Featured, Rabbi's page |
If God does not build the house, the workers labor in vain… (Psalm 127). There is an ancient Jewish tradition: when building a house, to leave one corner, one tiny bit unfinished. To let a little bit of brick show through plaster in the corner, to have something left not fully painted. Our ancestors did so in order to remind ourselves that the world is not complete, that there is far too much suffering and destruction in the world for us to sit comfortably in our home and think that all is good… Over the course of this summer there… more
Slach lanu… forgive us before the High Holy Days?
| August 25, 2011 - כה אב תשעא | Posted by Rabbi Farbman under Featured, Rabbi's page |
In our tradition, the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the most awe-inspiring and powerful Holy Days. In our modern reality, the High Holy Days continue to serve as a draw for the Jews who rarely set foot in the synagogue during the year, but who nonetheless make big efforts to be a part of a community on the Days of Awe. Of course, if you have not been coming to the synagogue regularly, you may find the experience alienating (and great many Jews do!), since you do not know the prayers and may not be quite as… more
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