Rabbi Bruce's Reflections on Life

 Dear Friends,  This past week was a Jewish Holiday called Tu B'Av  Please check out the following link from My Jewish Learning. Tu B'Av, the Jewish Day of Love As I think about the meaning of love, I think about the Shema which reminds us to "LIsten Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord Alone."  We are then asked to love G-d with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might."  (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). One of the ways in which I look at love is described in the prayer "Listen" which is found below which I initially read in the prayerbook, "LIkrat Shabbat" I believe that among the most important aspects of love is the ability to listen.  At one of our children's weddings I read the following lyrics from the song, "I Talk to the Trees." from the broadway musical, "Paint Your Wagon." (please search for this and watch Clint Eastwood sing it:-)) I talk to the trees But they don't listen to me I talk to the stars But they neve...

  Dear Friends, As we commemorate Tisha B'Av, we remember the tragedies that have occurred on the 9th Day of the Hebrew month of Av. When we were recently in Rome, I was somewhat unnerved by the tour of the Roman Colosseum. As I learned that the Colosseum was built with some materials from the Second Temple and that a number of slaves who built the Temple were Jewish, I began to think more about Jewish suffering. I spoke to a group  at a local retirement home recently and mentioned this.  One of the residents suggested that instead of dwelling on the sadness and tragedy, that we should celebrate that despite persecution, we are still here. I hope that as we think about the modern meaning of Tisha B'Av, we will remember the sadness but will celebrate the joys of our faith, religion, culture, and civilization.  As we begin the process of preparing for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), let's think about what we can do to alleviate suffering in our world....

 Dear Friends, Last Shabbat I commemorated the 25th and 22nd anniversaries of my parents' deaths. I gave a sermonette at a local congregation where I spoke about the weekly Torah portion (scriptural reading) which was a double portion from the Book of Numbers, "Hukkat" and "Balak." In this portion, "Hukkat", Moses' brother, Aaron dies and the people mourn for 30 days.  Moses' sister Miriam dies and there is no opportunity to mourn. Immediately afterwards as a response to the Israelites' complaining that they did not have enough water, Moses is asked to speak to a rock to provide water for the people (which had been Miriam's responsibility).  Moses, who had not had the opportunity to mourn for his sister, loses his temper with our ancestors' complaints and hits the rock instead of speaking to it. G-d reprimands Moses by telling him he will not enter the promised land. I have often thought that this was a harsh consequence since Moses...

  Dear Friends, Last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a Juneteenth commemoration in Fairfax at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. The following two quotes were a major part of my participation and led to the following experience which I want to share with you. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”   ―  Martin Luther King Jr.,  Letter from Birmingham Jail “ Human Suffering Anywhere concerns men and women EVERYWHERE ” Elie Wiesel The link between the struggle for freedom between Blacks and Jews is strong.  Each Passover and in every generation we are obligated to remember that we were slaves to Pharao...

  Dear Friends, As we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day, I was reading the following article from the June, 2023 edition of Sports Illustrated Magazine.  (See below…I hope you can cut and paste it into your browser and open it .  If not, please try to access the article written by Taylor Plimpton, George’s son).  As I have tried to explain my passion for attending baseball games to members of our family, this article captures the essence of my insatiable NEED and DESIRE to go to games.  Many members of our family think that my wife should be sainted, given how many games she has attended with me over the years.  On our recent trip to the Vatican, I tried to get an audience with the Pope in order to explore her sainthood, but somehow this wasn’t a priority for him:-)  So… this article is primarily for our children but you are welcome to come along for the journey. I believe that one of the primary teachings of Judaism is how important it is to “tea...

  Dear Friends, What does Joe Dimaggio have to do with this week's article?  I am celebrating the 56th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah.  Joe Dimaggio's hitting streak in baseball was 56 games. So what does that mean? Dimaggio's streak was a model of consistency and as I look back on becoming Bar Mitzvah and the trajectory of my life, Judaism has in one way or another been consistently important to me. There were times I wrestled with my  faith, thinking about becoming Bahai, struggling with observance, and wondering whether Judaism really was the religion for me.  When I was in college, I took an introduction to Judaism at the University of Illinois with Professor Gary Porton.  It was a revelation to me since I found that learning about Judaism in a serious way was immensely rewarding and inspiring.  I realized that to be Jewish was and is a blessing. As I learned more about the Torah portion, Naso, from which I read and which we read this Shabbat, ...

 Dear Friends, As we celebrate Shavuot, Shabbat, and commemorate Memorial Day weekend,  I hope that we all find meaningful ways to connect to Shavuot that marks the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, Yizkor (remembering our loved ones), and when we read the scroll of Ruth that emphasizes the importance of kindness.   One of the tributes I find to be most meaningful  on Memorial Day weekend is the following by Archibald MacLeish: THE YOUNG DEAD SOLDIERS DO NOT SPEAK Nevertheless they are heard in the still houses: who has not heard them? They have a silence that speaks for them at night and when the clock counts. They say, We were young. We have died. Remember us. They say, We have done what we could but until it is finished it is not done. They say, We have given our lives but until it is finished no one can know what our lives gave. They say, Our deaths are not ours: they are yours: they will mean what you make them. They say, Whether our lives and our deaths we...