Monthly Archives: September 2018

A Prayer for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

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We ask God’s blessing on Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, as she prepares for Thursday’s brave testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

If assailed by misogyny, intolerance and insults strengthen her with insight and endurance.

If confronted by prejudice and pettiness grant her fortitude and perseverance. 

May she be recognized for what she stand for, and acknowledged for the voice she has given to millions of survivors and to those who were not allowed to testify with her.

Spread over her the shelter of Your peace as she undertakes this journey for truth and for a Supreme Court serving all people in this country. read more

A Far-Too-Common Story: Rabbi Tulik’s Sermon – Yom Kippur Morning

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The Jewish community sees my husband as a respected professional who is educated, talented, outgoing, friendly, loving, caring, and compassionate.  They see him give generously to Jewish organizations in the area and working around the world.  They honor his commitment to the Jewish community, to the synagogue, to his large and well known family.  The community sees my husband as a mensch.  They were not witness to what took place in the privacy of our home.  No one saw him hit me.  Choke me.  Bite me.  No one heard him call me worthless, tell me I’m stupid, throw plates on the floor because the food I’d cooked was “disgusting”.  No one was present when he dragged me by my hair out of our child’s room and promised that I would not survive the night.  The Jewish community sees my husband but they don’t see everything. read more

YOM KIPPUR

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THE JEWISH PLURALIST WISHES YOU
A MEANINGFUL YOM KIPPUR

HERE IS A PRAYER OF REFLECTION THAT I FOUND AND PLAN TO INCLUDE IN THE LITURGY

SHANAH TOVAH: MAY IT BE A YEAR OF DEMOCRACY

SHANAH TOVAH : A YEAR OF LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

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As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah on Sunday night, we feel an added urgency this year to share with our readers a prayer for our country. For centuries, a prayer for the country has been included in prayer books in Jewish communities around the world. The prayer is recited right after the morning Torah service in synagogues, on the Sabbath and on Holy Days. The following prayer is taken from the Rosh Hashanah Mishkan Hanefesh Mahzor for the Days of Awe:

“God of holiness, we hear Your message: Justice, Justice you shall pursue. God of freedom, we hear Your charge: Proclaim liberty throughout the land. Inspire us through Your teachings and commandments to love and uphold our precious democracy. Let every citizen take responsibility for the rights and freedoms we cherish. Let each of us be an advocate for justice, an activist for liberty, a defender of dignity. And let us champion the values that make our nation a haven for the persecuted, a beacon of hope among the nations. read more

Rosh Hashanah and the Death of a Metaphor by Deborah Kornfeld

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The Cedar Tree

The sun is setting, orange and pink rays are caught by the darkened clouds. It is the Sabbath. In synagogues all over the world, Jews greet the Sabbath with psalms and songs. “Tzaddik k’tamar yeefrach, k’erez balvanon yisge. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon” (Psalm:92:12).

The Hebrew Bible abounds in botanical imagery. The Cedar of Lebanon stands close to 115 feet high with strong, deep roots and a wide canopy of branches, the oldest Cedars are thousands of years old. These trees are resilient and useful. The righteous person stands tall and proud with wide arms to embrace all. The righteous person stands in this world with deep roots in traditions and a crown of branches reaching to the heavens. read more