Rabbi Weill's Blog

Dear Friends,

We read the Ten Commandments this Shabbat. We usually call them the Ten Commandments, but in Hebrew they are referred to as “aseret ha’dibrot,” the Ten Utterances.

While most of those “utterances” begin with a grammatical imperative (or command), the very first begins with a statement: “I am the Lord your God who took you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Exodus...Read more...

Dear Friends,

The book of Exodus begins, “And these are the names of the Children of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob” (Exodus1,1). A list of the eleven sons who lived in Canaan with Jacob ensues, plus Joseph, who was waiting for them in Egypt.

The commentator Gur Aryeh teaches that these twelve sons, progenitors of the tribes of Israel, correspond to the twelve principle constellations in the night sky. Just as each...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Our prayers can be divided roughly into three categories: I praise you, G-d; I beseech you, G-d; and I thank you, G-d.

Today we give thanks.

Some say we must cultivate an “attitude of gratitude.” Judaism agrees, and perhaps nudges us even further toward a RADICAL attitude of gratitude. Our tradition points us toward a perpetual posture of appreciation. Why else would we pray three times each...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Jacob good, Esau bad. This is the dichotomy we place upon these twins, about whom we read in Toledot, this week’s Torah portion.

While Esau is the wild man of the fields, the hunter who consorts with Hittite women, Jacob is tam, wholehearted, and yosheiv ohalim, the one who dwells in tents and, according to our sages, anachronistically studies Torah.

Jacob becomes our patriarch, a leader of...Read more...

Dear Friends,

How nice it is to end the year with good news about two of our congregational leaders. 

President Ed Cohen has received a prestigious honor, the Bowl of Hygeia Award, from the Illinois Pharmacist Association. The award, presented to only one pharmacist annually, honors one who has compiled an “outstanding record of community service.”  Ed has been long been involved in civic service commitments,...Read more...

Dear Friends,

The spiritual leader, teacher, halakhic codifier, and prayer-leader, Rabbi Jacob ben Moshe ha’Levi Molin, known as the Maharil, died 590 years ago this month, on 22 Elul. He spent most of his adult life in Mainz, Germany.

He taught, “All the month of Elul, before eating and sleeping, let all sit, look into their souls, and search their deeds that they may make confession.”  Indeed, Elul offers us a...Read more...

Dear Friends,

“Be among the disciples of Aaron,” we read in Pirkei Avot, “loving peace and pursuing peace” (1:12).

In this week’s Torah portion, Chukat, Aaron dies.

The Israelites mourn Aaron universally. Is it any wonder? Aaron was a true rodeif shalom, a pursuer of peace. So much so, according to our Sages, that he even told little lies just to bring rivals closer together. 

We often find a...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Every year at this time I hear about people deciding to clean: clearing old files, cleaning out the garage, and so on. Perhaps early spring (yes, it's spring) evokes a cleaning impulse. Such an impulse is especially appropriate for Jews, as cleaning is our primary task as we approach Passover. God commands us to remove all the chametz/leavening from our dwellings. The source of this commandment is in Parshat Bo in the...Read more...

Dear Friends,

Purim is about shpiels, costumes, and frivolity. But it is much more than that as well. It is also about how we, today, understand “divine intervention.”

Redemption follows miracles in Torah. We came out from Egypt as a result of G-d’s grand miracles. Not so with the Book of Esther, the source of the Purim holiday. No miracles occur in that story. G-d’s name does not even appear – not once!

In...Read more...

Dear Friends:

Dam, Tzifardeia, Kinim, Arov, Dever, Shichin, Barad. These are the first seven plagues upon Egypt in this week’s Torah portion, Va’Eira: blood, frogs, lice, swarms, pestilence, boils, and hail.

We often consider the plagues as punishments upon the Evil Empire of Egypt for its brutal treatment of Israel. But the plagues’ real objective was not vengeance. It was rather G-d’s assertion of exclusive...Read more...

Dear Friends:

One benefit we receive when we join a community is support during important moments. For many Jews, one such important moment is kaddish recitation for loved ones. We are extremely fortunate to hold daily services, which allow us to recite kaddish with the support of a minyan.

Sometimes we, like most congregations, do not get a minyan. The Religious Services Committee has and will continue to work on how to...Read more...

Dear Friends:

Autumn and the natural world changes: cool air stings. Geese propel themselves southward, honking as they go, while squirrels bury and munch, munch and bury, fattening themselves. Leaves turn yellow, orange, red, brown, and then fall thick on our lawns. And on farms, the harvest is hauled in.

In early autumn, we experienced the great emptying of Yom Kippur, removing sin from our souls and food from our bodies. We...Read more...

Dear Friends:

With the Tishrei holiday cycle now behind us, we return to our routine. That feels good!
 
Our Bible study, The Land Beyond Torah, has now resumed. We meet every Thursday at 11 am. I love this class and know you will too. It offers a great way to learn and discuss and to get to know each other. Come check it out!
 
I am also always excited for Koleinu, our monthly musical Friday night service at...Read more...

Dear Friends:

As the High Holy Days approached, the congregation needed a shofar blower. The rabbi rushed off an email to the congregation: Shofar Blower Needed! Tryouts: Monday, 5 pm.”  She had no idea if anyone would come at such short notice. But three congregants were waiting in the sanctuary at the appointed time.  The rabbi sat in the first row and said, “Please give me one tekiah gedolah and an explanation as to...Read more...

Dear Friends,

We are in the midst of the "Three Weeks" between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, or Tisha b'Av. This period represents the intensifying siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE, culminating with the destruction of the Second Temple. The ninth of Av is the anniversary of other calamities in Jewish history, including the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and the signing of the edict of our expulsion...Read more...