Rabbi Glick: In response to Charlottesville and Barcelona, "We are God’s partners in repairing the world."
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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...
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...
Rabbi Glick: How Good and Pleasant It is for Brethren to Dwell Together in Unity
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“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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
