Rabbi's Corner

Message from the Rabbi

 


As we read Parashat Vayetze, we’re reminded that Jacob’s world is anything but simple. Love and disappointment, rivalry and unexpected gifts—all live side by side in the same family. It’s a truthful portrait of human relationships: meaningful, complicated, and rarely tidy.
As we enter Thanksgiving, many of us prepare for gatherings that look very much like this—joyful and complicated at the same time. The Torah doesn’t ask us to pretend the hard parts aren’t there. Instead, it teaches us that gratitude and complexity can coexist. We can bless the good without denying what is difficult. We can choose kindness even when the dynamics are imperfect.
May this Thanksgiving bring moments of real connection, honest appreciation, and the gentle grace of seeing one another with compassion.
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Mark your calendars:
Finish Strong is Back 
Shabbat mornings after services and after lunch.
Finish Strong, our after-services, after-kiddush discussion on “hot topics.”
It is a wonderful way for those who want to linger after services (and even those “JFKers” — Just for Kiddush) to engage in lively, open, and respectful discussion about the world around us. 

New Series
The Enigma of Isaac: Between Sacrifice and Serenity
Wednesdays, December 3–24 at 8:00 PM on Zoom
Isaac is the quietest of the patriarchs—and perhaps the most mysterious. Overshadowed by his father Abraham and his son Jacob, Isaac’s story is one of endurance, faith, and the quiet strength that sustains a people between generations. In this four-part course, we’ll explore Isaac’s life from the Binding to his final blessings, uncovering the spiritual power of restraint, the meaning of inherited trauma, and the sacred art of continuity.

Check out my new blog at Times of Israel
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/when-the-ladder-meets-the-tunnels-parashat-vayetzei/