Rabbi Bruce's Reflections on Life

 Dear Friends, It has now been five weeks since Sue passed away and I wanted to share a couple thoughts.   I was teaching a zoom session today about where we find holiness and we discussed the burning bush and how Moses had to turn away from the spot where it was burning because it was holy ground.  Please see the article below from My Jewish Learning.com about the flames which ignite within us passion and love.  May we share those with people we love and may we find causes where our passion and love will help us make a difference.  Sue certainly shared her love and light and ignited flames of love which will never die. I feel like I am a burning bush and the difference is that the bush Moses encountered was not consumed.  I try not to be consumed by tears and anguish but the waves of grief are strong and her passing is still so fresh. As I continue to miss Sue and write this blog through tears, I have to remember the holiness of our relationship ...

  Dear Friends, As we celebrate the conclusion of Passover, I am sharing with you some very sad news. Sue died two weeks ago when her aorta suddenly burst.  Our last days together were filled with joy, travel, humor, and we had no idea that this might occur. Honestly, I am incredibly sad but surrounded by hundreds of people who wish to support me.  I wish I knew what to ask for...I have been told that people get through this, but at this point it seems hard to imagine that this will occur. In honor of Sue, I hope you will learn from the following teaching by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory.  In a posting, he writes that at the Passover Seder we hold up a piece of matzah (unleavened bread) and declare that it is the bread of affliction.  We also open the door in order to invite those who are hungry to join us for our festive meal. It seems rude to offer guests a "bread of affliction."  But as we offer the matzah to others and invite them in, the matza...

  Dear Friends, As we prepare to celebrate Purim next week, I wanted to comment on the line in the Megillah (Scroll)  of Esther that describes what will happen if Esther doesn't help the Jewish people.  (for those who aren't familiar with the story of Purim, please check out an article about Purim from My Jewish Learning.com) The verse is Chapter 4:14 which says that if Esther doesn't help save the Jewish people, help will come from some other place.  This is a veiled reference to G-d which is important because the Scroll (English for Megillah) of Esther was not going to be included in the canonization of the Bible because of an absence of a reference to G-d. In the world in which we are living which is filled with immense challenges, I hope that we will all respond to our "Esther moments" and realize that if we want things to change in our world, it is up to us.  Although we are taught that we should pray as if everything depends upon G-d, we are also remi...

 Dear Friends, As we approach the Jewish New Year of the Trees, Tu'B'Shevat next week, I wanted to share some thoughts about recent events.  Living in the Washington DC area and teaching at George Mason University, I encounter many people who are concerned about whether they are safe, whether their grants will be continued, whether their efforts to build a more peaceful world will be funded, whether they will have a job, and whether they will be able to stay in the United States.  We hear reports about a plan for Americans to take over Gaza and turn it into the "Rivieria of the Middle East." As we read Biblical texts that deal with the Exodus from Egypt in our weekly Torah readings at this time of the year, we remember that we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.  We endured plague after plague and in each case Pharaoh hardened his heart.  Our ancestors continued to have hope that there would be a better world and finally were able to escape and journey toward the p...

  Dear Friends, Colbert King wrote an article about Dr. Martin Luthur King Jr.  in the Washington Post today (Jan. 18, 2025) and I want to share an excerpt from his article.  King was sitting at a table in his house in January 1956, after receiving a phone call telling him that if he persisted in his civil rights campaign, “in three days, we’re going to blow your brains out and blow up your house,” and he thought about all that could be taken away. His baby daughter and his wife, Coretta, asleep in the next room, his father miles away and a cup of coffee growing cold before him, King   later recalled   that   he prayed: “Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right. I think I am right. I think the cause that we represent is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now. I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. And I can’t let people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage, they will begin to get weak.   As we commemorate ML...

  Dear Friends, A number of you have already seen part of this blog since I sent the link below to ascertain if it resonated with people and a number or you commented positively so I thought I would send this to all of you. The link had been sent to me and  I found it to be inspiring and hopeful. (see below) I hope you can open the link from YouTube. Recently in the New York Times, (Sunday Dec. 22) David Brooks writes the following, in his article, " My Decade-Long Journey to Belief ," "My life feels remusicked (his word...check it out online) since my own little Exodus journey began.  It turns out the experience of desire is shaped by the object of your desire.  If you desire money, your desire will always seem pinched, and if you desire fame, your desire will always be desperate.  But if the object of your desire is generosity itself, then your desire for it will open up new dimensions of existence you had never perceived before. for example, the presence in o...