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Rabbi's Corner

The Foundation of Law

Judaism gave Western civilization many things, but one of the most important is that it laid down the foundation of Law. The Ten Commandments and many other elements of Hebrew law provided a major source for the development of Western legal systems and democracy.

Three thousand years ago, the ancient Hebrews developed the idea of monotheism, the belief in one G-d. They believed that G-d gave them laws to regulate their society, their religious practices, and their relationships with other people. (more…)

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President's Message

March 2025: President’s Message

Early in December, a member came up to me and mentioned how smoothly my presidency had been going. Little did I know that, at the end of December, we would lose heat in the majority of the synagogue. Both boilers died after a leaking pipe caused water to get into the boiler’s electronics.  (more…)

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Rabbi's Corner

Recency Bias

A man called me and said that he was going to have an operation. He said that it was preventative; the doctors told him that he was ok for now, but that at any moment, he could be on the floor in an emergency and then it might be too late to do anything. I understood what he was saying. The operation was a big deal, and he would have a lot of pain and need a long time to recover fully. (more…)

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President's Message

February 2025: President’s Message

            As has been the case for the last few month, I am writing this message right before the submission deadline.  I knew I wanted to write about the formation of the Nominating Committee this month, so I looked back at previous synagogue bulletins for inspiration.  Something Lauren wrote in last year’s February bulletin really stood out to me.  She talked about how becoming involved with the synagogue could take different paths, whether it is “dipping a toe in the water or jumping in with both feet.”  (more…)

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Rabbi's Corner

Patriarchs, Matriarchs and Their Children

Rabbi’s Message

The stories in the Book of Genesis about the Patriarchs and Matriarchs and their children often present their actions in a questionable or even objectionable light. We see that they are not always exemplars of great spiritual or moral stature (more…)

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