As I mentioned yesterday, the Imam behind the Ground Zero mosque claims to be afraid to move the location of the mosque. He is afraid that the radical Muslim world will be outraged and react with anger, or worse, violence. When the pastor up in Gainesville threatened to burn the Koran last week, powerful US [...]
Archive for the ‘Jewish Holidays’ Category
Yom Kippur 5771: Reclaiming Our Right To Be Tough, Strong Jews
Posted in American Judaism, In the news, Islamic Extremism, Israel, Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, tagged Jewish resistance, Jews, Jews standing up for themselves, Max Nordau, muskeljuden, strong, tough on September 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Kol Nidre 5771: Legal Right vs. Moral Responsibility – The Ground Zero Mosque
Posted in In the news, Islamic Extremism, Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, tagged Cordoba House, Ground Zero Mosque. Imam Rauf on September 19, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Tonight, many of us owe someone an apology for doing something we had the right to do – or for saying something we had the right to say. Despite the fact that we had the right to say what we said or do what we did – our words or our actions were irresponsible. For [...]
Rosh HaShanah Day 1 Sermon: Jonah and the Question
Posted in American Judaism, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Parenting, Jewish Ritual, Kids, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom, Spirituality on September 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Here we are – Rosh HaShanah – the busiest time of the Jewish year. The Days of Awe. The days when synagogues get their highest level of attendance – the reason our synagogue and most synagogues in the US are built with folding walls – so that we can seat all of the Jews who [...]
Erev Rosh HaShanah Sermon: “The Power of Forty”
Posted in Jewish Holidays, Personal Growth, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom on September 8, 2010 | 1 Comment »
On Rosh HaShanah, we are supposed to take some time to reflect upon the year that has come to a close – specifically the moments in our lives that, when we look back, contained within them incredible bits of knowledge. These moments are not always the joyful moments that are captured by photographs, video, or [...]
Remember Gilad this New Year
Posted in Action, Israel, Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom on September 7, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Send a Message of Support to Gilad Gilad Shalit has been held captive by Hamas for four long years. For more than 1,500 days, he has been denied visits by the Red Cross and cut off from all contact with his family. Tell Gilad he is not alone as he marks his 24th birthday on [...]
Bringing Services To You
Posted in Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom, Spirituality, tagged High Holidays, High Holy Days, on-line services, services, streaming on September 5, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Ramat Shalom has been streaming our Shabbat services live, on-line for almost a year now. We are happy to announce that our High Holy Services will also be live, on-line this year. All you need to do is click HERE. While we would prefer to have you join us in person, we know that this [...]
God Is A Woman and She Is Growing Older
Posted in Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom, Spirituality, tagged rabbi andrew jacobs on September 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I shared this story on Friday night and many of you were touched by it. It was written by Rabbi Margaret Wenig and can be found in its entirety here. I made some very minor adaptations to the story when I shared it with you on Friday. It is a powerful tale that challenges the [...]
Write Your Own Torah
Posted in Jewish Holidays, Spirituality, tagged 613 Commandments, rabbi andrew jacobs on September 3, 2010 | 2 Comments »
As many of you know, there are 613 commandments in the Torah. Many incorrectly believe that there are only ten. The Torah is filled with hundreds of rules that are meant to guide us through our lives. This week, right before we welcome the new year, the Torah teaches us the 613th commandment. “And now, [...]
The Spiritual 3-Way Mirror
Posted in Jewish Holidays, Personal Growth, Spirituality, tagged Cheshbon HaNefesh, High Holidays, rabbi andrew jacobs, Ramat Shalom, repentance, Rosh HaShanah, Selichot, sin, teshuvah on August 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
We are less than two weeks away from Rosh HaShanah, more than halfway through the Jewish month of Elul. As we prepare for a new year, we are taught to spend time closely examining our lives. This is not easy. Some have compared this self-examination process to looking into a 3-way mirror – the type [...]
Torah Equality
Posted in Jewish Holidays, tagged rabbi andrew jacobs, Ramat Shalom, Shavuot on May 14, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
3,314 years ago (give or take a few years), something incredible happened to the Jewish people. It was so incredible that we still celebrate it. The celebration begins on Tuesday night and lasts for one or two days depending upon your tradition. We call the celebration “Shavuot” and it commemorates a pivotal moment in our [...]
