Rabbi Weill's Blog

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, Va’Yishlach, Jacob and Esau reunite after two decades apart. Jacob is terrified because, when last they were together, Esau wanted to kill Jacob for his theft of their father’s blessing. Jacob is relieved that Esau no longer harbors vengeful designs. Still, when Esau suggests that they travel together, Jacob demurs. He understood it was wiser to remain separate.

Each Wednesday...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Today is the eighty-fourth anniversary of Kristallnacht, the two-day Nazi-sponsored pogrom against the Jews.

Last night we commemorated this dark day with an examination of what the Nazis considered “degenerate” art and music. Amy Claver offered a thorough description of how that campaign impacted one particular Jewish composer, Hans Gal. Gal was lucky; he escaped.

But on Kristallnacht, nearly one...Read more...

Dear Friends,

As you may know, the Village of Skokie is housing scores of asylum-seekers from Venezuela. They were bused to Chicago from the states of Florida and Texas -- a deeply cynical political ploy. The state of Illinois has sought the assistance of local municipalities in providing assistance to these asylum-seekers. Skokie is one such municipality.

Village officials recently contacted me and the Niles Township Clergy...Read more...

Dear Friends,

The new EHNTJC brochure includes the line "music echoes off our walls." 

How true that is!  And what I appreciate about our echoing music, besides our talented musicians, are the voices -- our voices -- joining in.

This Friday night, join in! Cantor Gale will once again lead the musically superb and spiritually uplifting Shabbat Ruach service. Cantor will be supported by the resplendent voice of...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Stability. Fragility. Hope.

That sums up Tisha b’Av, which begins on Saturday evening.

Tisha b’Av – the ninth day of the month of Av – commemorates Jewish calamities. It is the day, according to our lore, that both Temples fell and the day the edict for our 1492 expulsion from Spain was signed.

Our sages also retroactively assigned that date to the Torah story of the spies’ pessimistic...Read more...

Dear Friends,

The sunrises over the wilderness of Sinai. The Israelites awake and pour their coffee. When they emerge from their tents, they see before them the Tabernacle.

The Tabernacle – or Mishkan – was the portable sanctuary the Israelites transported during their journey to the Promised Land.  It was situated in the center of the Israelite camp. The tribes were arrayed around it. God’s cloud of glory swirled...Read more...

Dear Friends,

We are privileged to benefit from each other's scholarship and wisdom. We have such an opportunity over the next couple of weeks, as congregant Dr. Steve Parker will teach material from his wealth of study and writing.

The first opportunity will be this Saturday evening. Steve will join me and Cantor Gale in leading our annual Tikkun Leil Shavuot. See additional information in this Byte message.

The...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Garrison Keillor would cap off each episode of A Prairie Home Companion by stating that Lake Wobegon is a place “Where … all the children are above average.”

I love the phrase, for how can “all” of anything within a specific set be “above average”? Still, I would apply that ironic line to the children in our own religious school. I have had the distinct pleasure of teaching and just spending time...Read more...

Dear Friends,

On Passover we gather together to celebrate this ancient biblical holiday. To that end, all are welcome to log on to Zoom In and Zoom Out of Egypt on Friday night – first seder – at 7:30 pm.  Cantor Gale and I will lead a maariv service and focus on moments of high drama and great meaning in the Haggadah. It will last approximately 75 minutes.

On Passover we are also keenly attuned to those who suffer...Read more...

Dear Friends,

The core of the Jewish mitzvah system is the imperative to help the vulnerable. There are, sadly and undeniably, no end of vulnerable people in the world. The Ukrainians have caught our attention for their sad plight, as well as for their bravery. We also understand that the security structure that has obtained in the western world is shaken by Russia's invasion. So, Ukraine is very much on our minds. 

We at...Read more...

Dear Friends,

One of humanity’s greatest accomplishments was…

Well, you might conclude that sentence in any number of ways: the pyramids, the moon-landing, the personal computer.

But I’ll vote for the Mishkan, the portable tabernacle the Israelites constructed and transported through the desert, en route to the...Read more...

Dear Friends,

The United Nations' General Assembly designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day; it is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. 

On this day, the UN urges its members states to honor the memory of the six million and to commit to the complete abolishment of genocide. May it only be so!

We in the Jewish world have our own sacred day of commemoration, Yom...Read more...

Dear Friends,

This week, as we begin the book of Exodus, Moses feels woefully unqualified for the mission God places upon him: to be God's agent of redemption for the Israelites; to be the great teacher of Torah at Sinai; to lead the people through the wilderness. 

"Mi anochi?" Moses protests. Who am I to accomplish all of this? The Israelites will not believe me. Pharaoh will not speak to me. I have a speech impediment....Read more...

Dear Friends,

Introducing … “Folk & Rock Torah.”  Each week – for the time being – I will play a recording of a song that reflects a theme within that week’s Torah portion. I will do this immediately following our evening minyan – typically on Wednesdays.

This week I shared “Takin’ It to the Streets” by the Doobie Brothers. It begins, “You don’t know me, but I’m your brother. I was raised...Read more...

Dear Friends,

As you know from our emails and fliers, EHNT offers frequent and fulfilling opportunities for learning. Cantor Gale teaches popular classes on Jewish music and liturgy. Dr. Esther Javetz and her Adult Education team organize a steady stream of creative programs. And I teach classes on Mondays (Torah This Week!), Tuesdays (Stories from Our Tradition) and Thursdays....Read more...