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do i matter?

01/19/2023 09:05:01 AM

Jan19

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

How many of us made end-of-the-year donations to favorite charities when we recognized that we had discretionary income that we might use? I wonder if our total annual donations changed with the birth of Giving Tuesday as well as the nonstop daily requests? Do we really make a difference?

I think that all of us assume that our...Read more...

the words of the prophet

01/12/2023 10:38:50 AM

Jan12

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

If you look at the end of an email, you will frequently find additional information from the sender.  In some places, this is termed the address card.  A person’s address, telephone number, fax(remember those?) or website might be listed. Some senders have their business card embedded at the bottom.  Some people include thoughtful quotes from people of renown. I do all of...Read more...

do we make a difference?

01/05/2023 08:56:43 AM

Jan5

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

All of us like to think that we have made a difference in the lives of others, be it family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers or strangers. Part of the human experience is the quest for purpose, finding a reason for our existence. For those who have been privileged to become a parent, the opportunity to raise the next generation is simultaneously a thrill and an obligation. Sometimes we...Read more...

good riddance?

12/29/2022 09:23:02 AM

Dec29

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

It might be considered a gift that the Jewish community has two opportunities to reflect upon the year, with the end of the solar year upon us and the month prior to Rosh Hashanah serving as a period of introspection.  With the first quarter of the year 5783 concluded, perhaps we might reflect upon our introspection and goals from the summer past and be honest with ourselves, asking...Read more...

sadness amidst joy

12/22/2022 09:19:00 AM

Dec22

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

I had the privilege, along with my wife Janice, to attend the White House Chanukah party this past Monday evening. Others have lamented the long lines and the beautiful Christmas decorations inside and outside the White House. I enjoyed viewing the decorations, which I thought were quite stunning. Some of the highlights were:

The White House kitchen was made kosher for the party....Read more...

don't let the light go out

12/15/2022 10:57:44 AM

Dec15

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

Have you ever stood outside on a cold, crisp night and marveled at the ability of the full moon to reflect light from the sun 91.5 million miles away and be so bright? Or the light that a single havdalah candle provides in an otherwise dark chapel? Or the reassuring ner tamid constantly aglow in the sanctuary? The nature of light that causes it to eliminate darkness transcends science,...Read more...

'tis the season

12/08/2022 11:32:09 AM

Dec8

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

I cannot avoid returning to a very powerful question that my dear friend, Pastor Eric Manning of Mother Emanuel AME Church of Charleston, SC, asked rather rhetorically.  We were filming the 2018 Christmas edition of New Day at CNN. In between taping, he asked: Why do we Christians utter “peace on earth, good will towards men” only during this time of year? Shouldn’t that be a...Read more...

let there be light

12/01/2022 08:52:45 AM

Dec1

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

With the lessening of daylight hours every day in the Northern Hemisphere, it seemed perfectly reasonable to establish festivals during the darkest days of winter that celebrated light. Darkness led to fear and stranger things that went bump in the night. Unexplained phenomena occurred more frequently in the absence of light. Festivals that focus on light seemed a perfect antidote. While it is...Read more...

an attitude of gratitude

11/22/2022 05:15:58 PM

Nov22

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

I’ve always enjoyed Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday that has traces of a religious origin, yet is infused with ever-evolving American traditions. But as time has transpired, the origins based upon giving thanks have birthed too much commercialism.  I recognize that there are so many helpers in our country who cannot be home to celebrate Thanksgiving, and I am grateful for them...Read more...

Now What?

11/17/2022 03:19:34 PM

Nov17

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

The final vote tabulations continue, absentee ballots are still being processed, and there will be a runoff in Georgia for one Senate seat. What does seem clear to me is that dysfunction will reign in our nation’s capital, as obstructionism will be the catch-phrase for the next two years. Despite what I have regularly preached over these past four years, that we all have so much more in common than not, and that we must work...Read more...

Thu, March 30 2023 8 Nisan 5783