I'm Sorry (KN 5768)
I’m Sorry
We have gathered on this holiest night of the year to contemplate what is most essential. In the immortal words of the Little Prince, “What is essential is invisible to the eye” the fox teaches him, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.” It is not easy to see with the heart, we are very visual; our eyes dominate our other senses. We are so busy watching the world that...Read more...
Israel @ 60 (YK 5768)
Israel@60
On this holiest day of the year, in the moments before Yizkor, I want to speak to you of a topic that I feel is essential to our lives as Jews – Israel. You might think that since I feel this way I should make aliya and I have to admit it is something that Dassy & I considered once upon a time, but for now we are committed to living our Judaism right here in the good ole US of A, just like...Read more...
Values (RH1 5767)
Values – we chart the course of our lives based upon our values. People with similar backgrounds, educations and experiences often have many values in common. When we meet people who are very different from us they often hold dear values that we don’t understand; it makes the world an interesting place, but it can also lead to conflict. Sometimes value conflicts can take place with people who...Read more...
Conservative Identity & Halacha (RH2 5767)
Each of us is an individual, but we don’t do well in isolation; we are social beings. We are at our best when in relationship to other human beings. Martin Buber went so far as to say that God is found in our relationships. We have an innate desire to be a part of a group – families, friends, professional associations, and congregations. Belonging is very important to us. It helps us define our...Read more...
Care (Kol Nidre 5767)
The sun has set and another Yom Kippur has begun; our most sacred day of the year. We gather to confess our sins and to seek forgiveness from God – quite a tall order! What makes for a successful Yom Kippur? An easy fast? Lots of praying? Catching up with friends? Perhaps all of the above, but tradition finds one answer in the haftarah we’ll recite in the morning. Isaiah records the following words, “Is such the fast I desire, a day for...Read more...
Israel (Yom Kippur 5767)
There is a symbiotic relationship that exists between the Jewish people and Israel, we support her and she sustains us. The Six Day War transformed American Jewry in 1967; our fragmented and disparate community came together as one to show our support for Israel as her Arab neighbors attacked on all fronts. We sent money, arms and volunteers from all walks of life. And then when we won the war, against impossible odds, we were proud – it...Read more...
Jewish Boyscouting (RH1 5766)
What I Learned from my Boy Scout Experience
Rabbi Randall Mark
Shomrei Torah, Wayne, NJ
As many of you know this past summer I became a Boy Scout or more precisely a Scouter, since I’m over 18 and no longer eligible to be a Boy Scout. My brother-in-law, Rabbi Joe Prouser, is an Eagle Scout and he has remained active in the Scouting movement....Read more...
Support for Israel (RH2 5766)
Continuing Support for Israel!
Rabbi Randall Mark
Wayne, NJ
This morning once again we read the haunting story of the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac, from the Torah. According to tradition, the mountain that Avraham and Yitzchak ascended was none other than Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount or Mt. Moriah. There is a tradition that this is the same...Read more...
Make a Difference (KN 5766)
You Can Make a Difference
Kol Nidre 5766
Rabbi Randall Mark
Wayne, NJ
This has been a particularly painful year. It has been filled with death and destruction. We witnessed the terrible devastation of the tsunami in South East Asia that wiped out 300,000 people last...Read more...
Notable Deaths of 5765 (Yizkor 5766)
Notable Deaths of 5765
Rabbi Randall Mark
Wayne, NJ
(Lists complied by Rabbis Arthur Weiner & Howie Siegel)
Each year many, many people die. Some of them are well known or have accomplishments that are noteworthy. It is worth a moment of our time to stop...Read more...
