Another Gathering of Sadness and Joy: Commemorating Oct. 7 and Celebrating Torah Let us start by acknowledging sad realities. For the rest of human history, the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, the day before Simchat Torah, will impact how we approach the last of the fall holidays. No matter how close or how far Oct. […]
Ushpizin and the Power of Poetry Ushpizin is the custom of welcoming biblical ancestors into the Sukkah. It begins with paragons of hospitality, Abraham and Sarah, and extends from there. This year provides us with an opportunity to take the concept even further. Make this Sukkot an occasion to welcome poets into your sukkah, be […]
Love That Lasts: Shabbat Shuva and Celebrating Those Married 50 Years or Longer Mazel Tov to our couples married 50 years or longer. As this piece goes to press, we have heard from Diana and Rick Clewett, Jo and Bob Belin, Connie and John Loventhal, Susan and Austin Cantor, Betty and Lowell Nigoff, and Alan […]
Day of Remembrance, Day of Rest: A Prayer for Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat With the arrival of Shabbat and the New Year, let us reflect on the two sacred times sharing one day. Shabbat celebrates the completion of creation. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the birthday of the world. Shabbat is known as a day of rest. […]
Bard of the Bluegrass Kentucky is known throughout the country for bourbon, basketball and bluegrass. But we Kentuckians know there is an equally important fourth “B” that makes our commonwealth special — our books. Our writers might not be as well-known as our greatest boxer, wealthiest business founder, longest-serving officeholder or winningest coach, but what […]
Sermon Suspended: Bring Your Story to Services! You shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the ETERNAL your God will choose. You shall go to the priest and say, “I […]
Gentle Hearts: A Prayer for Parshat Eikev “Cut away the thickening about your hearts and stiffen your necks no more. For the ETERNAL your God is God supreme and Sovereign supreme, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who shows no favor and takes no bribe, but upholds the cause of the orphan and the […]
Anniversary of a Bat Mitzvah: Va-et’chanan and My Wonderful Daughter Ten years ago this sabbath, our daughter, Emanuelle Wirtschafter Sippy, was called to the Torah at Temple Adath Israel. It was the first and only b’nai mitzvah I did as a father and a full-time congregational rabbi. When Zachariah’s service was held in Minneapolis, I […]
Shabbat Chazon: A Metaphor for Our Annual Meeting Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, corresponding to July 22 and 23 this year, is a time to fast and mourn the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. According to tradition, the first and second Temples were destroyed on this date. The Shabbat before […]
Thoughts for Our Nation’s Semiquincentenniaal: Mutual Dependency and the Value of Independence Like parents of most American young people these days, I’ve listened to the soundtrack of “Hamilton” a lot. I’m not an expert, but I know this musical well enough to embarrass my twentysomething children whenever I try to sing it. A few years ago, […]
