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Rabbi's Blog

10/02/2018 10:18:50 PM

Oct2

Monica Garcia Norlander

 

My name is Monica Garcia Norlander. My Hebrew name is Chaya Ora, which means Life and Light. I am proud to stand here today as an alumna of the West Suburban Temple Har Zion class titled, “Introduction to Judaism.” In the class, I learned a solid foundation of Jewish knowledge, I joined a community of other learners, I cemented my decision to raise a child with Jewish values, and I grew on my personal journey.

In...Read more...

Shabbat Noach 5778 – ‘The Human Gift for Unity’

10/30/2017 04:54:22 PM

Oct30

Shabbat Noach 5778 – ‘The Human Gift for Unity’

 

Hineh ma tovu u manim shevet achim gam yachad

How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters sit together in...Read more...

Yom Kippur sermon 5778/2017, ‘Maurice Sendak and living the life we are meant to.’

10/08/2017 10:38:08 PM

Oct8

Good Yontif, Shanah Tovah,

 

Ma Anu, Umeh’Chayenu

 

What are we and what is our life?

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Kol Nidre Sermon 5778/ 2017, ‘Love your Story.’

10/08/2017 12:36:15 PM

Oct8

Good Yontif,

 

I was once at La Guardia airport in New York, and there was a man walking from person to person, looking...Read more...

Rosh Hashanah Day 1, 5778/2017, ‘How good and how pleasant it is for  brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity.’

10/08/2017 12:35:50 PM

Oct8

 

 

A Song of Ascents; of David.

Hine mah tov umah naim shevet achim gam...Read more...

 In response to Charlottesville and Barcelona, "We are God’s partners in repairing the world."

08/19/2017 10:46:21 AM

Aug19

Shabbat shalom,

What a week! Charlottesville last weekend, Barcelona on Thursday… How do we respond to all of this?

There is a story that Rabbi Akiva, the leader of his generation, was once summoned by the Roman governor, Rufus. The governor asked him, why do you Jews circumcise your males? Is God’s creation not perfect?

Rabbi Akiva showed the governor, in one hand flax, in the other a garment. He asked, ‘which...Read more...

Melton Jewish Learning Comes to West Suburban Har Zion

08/07/2017 03:18:07 PM

Aug7

Join us for a Free hour of high quality Jewish Learning!Read more...

Darkness  (Bo 5777)

02/15/2017 04:43:19 PM

Feb15

When I was young and lived in the Old City in Jerusalem, our family was in a big apartment. My room was across what seemed like an impossibly long and dark hallway to the kitchen, where I imagined my parents always were. I don’t remember much else about the apartment but I remember the hallway as a frightening place…

In our parashah this week, Bo, the Torah recounts to us the final intensification of the plagues. Finally, Pharaoh...Read more...

“How Good and Pleasant It is for Brethren to Dwell Together in Unity” (Toldot 5777)

01/19/2017 04:12:35 PM

Jan19

“How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” – Parashat Toldot 5777   The story of two brothers struggling. One of the oldest stories in the world. From the womb itself. The elder came out red, and the younger holding onto to his heel. In the stomach of their mother they turned and wrestled. As our commentators say, they fought.   The midrash states, the mother herself could tell that they were...Read more...

“Coping with the State of the World” (Rosh Hashanah 5777)

01/19/2017 04:10:08 PM

Jan19

Teshuva, Tefillah utzeddakh – maavirin et roah ha gzeira.   Repentance, Prayer, and charity lessen the severity, the evil of the decree. The line that is at the center of all of the High Holidays. But what is the evil decree?   In this year, I don’t think it has been hard to see what was the evil of the decree –for our society and country, for our people, for the world. We have seen terrorist attacks and experienced the fear...Read more...

“Religion is about walking” (Bechukotai 5776)

01/19/2017 04:09:18 PM

Jan19

When I was young, the most powerful religious memories for me were of our Friday night ritual before dinner. Of the singing we did. Of the special feeling, the holiness of Shabbat, that we created. We had our own way of doing it in our house. And I was convinced it was the very best and only way of doing it. I still am.

  For many people, this is what religion is about. A collection of memory, song, feeling, nostalgia, of the way...Read more...

“The day after revelation” (Mishpatim 5776)

01/19/2017 04:08:47 PM

Jan19

It’s the day after. What do you do?   We’ve just had this great amazing experience at Sinai, earthquake, lightning, God spoke to us. We’ve had a mass revelation, a moment of incredible enlightenment, but what is the next step? Now that the mountain is calm again, the skies are clear, the horn silent.   What are the Israelites thinking the next morning as they wake up into their new lives? God spoke to them and changed their...Read more...

“God is everywhere” (Vayeshev 5775)

01/19/2017 04:08:25 PM

Jan19

One of the joys and highlights of my week is that every Friday, I read a story to the pre-schoolers as part of their Shabbat service. They are lovely kids! One Friday, about a month ago, my story was called ‘God is everywhere’. God is in the sun and God is in the moon. God is in me, and God is in you. God is everywhere… About the journey of a little girl to find ‘where is God?’ And at the end she realizes that God is absolutely...Read more...

“The Cycle of Life” (Chayei Sarah 5776)

01/19/2017 04:07:39 PM

Jan19

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Canada to visit my 94 year old grandfather who has been very ill. He had a stroke 30 years ago, and his condition has worsened over the past year – he has gone into palliative care numerous times.   When I arrived with my wife Rachel, he welcomed us with surprise and a big smile.   There was such a look of sweetness and goodness in his face. A smile that lit up the room. We told him about our life,...Read more...

“The golden hills of Zion” (Lekh Lekha 5776)

01/19/2017 04:06:27 PM

Jan19

In these past weeks, Israel has been on our hearts and minds. In the face of the never ending conflict, and of the depression of seeing our neighbors seeking out to harm us with every mean possible, it’s hard not to feel despair and hopelessness.   Conflict has rattled our country since it was created 66 years ago, but who’s counting?   How do we lift our minds and our vision to retain hope?   Several years ago, I...Read more...

Rabbi Glick’s Yom Kippur Sermon 5776

01/19/2017 01:15:33 PM

Jan19

“Our origin is dust and our end is dust. At the hazard of our life we earn our bread. We are like a fragile vessel, like the grass that withers, the flower that fades, the shadow that passes, the cloud that vanishes, the wind that blows, the dust that floats, the dream that flies away. But You, Sovereign of all – Are the Living and Everlasting God.”   These are the words of the Unetaneh Tokef prayer that we recite throughout the...Read more...
Sat, April 20 2019 15 Nisan 5779