In egalitarian Judaism, some of our siddurim (prayer books) have introduced references to the Matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah) in prayers that mention Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Reform’s Mishkan Tefillah and the Conservative Movement’s Siddur Sim Shalom are two examples of this. Leah is referencing Siddur Sim Shalom. Leah: Page 156a or 156b. That’s
In Jewish Law, issur yichud (איסור ייחוד) is the prohibition of a man and a woman who are not married to one another being secluded together. I follow that in the same way I try and keep all of the mitzvot. It’s not because my wife demands it or I’m afraid of extramarital affairs. It’s
We’re on the exciting precipice of our strategic planning at Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine. After our friend, Dr. Amy Milligan, came in and spoke about her experiences with Temple Mishkan Israel in Selma, Alabama, it resonated with more than a few of us, I think, of the consequences of not taking a considered and
From time to time, certain realities punch me in the face. A recent Tweet by Tom Nichols this week caused a firestorm for a variety of reasons. It didn’t upset me so much as it did others; in many ways I think Tom Nichols is an admirable and very smart dude, and in the age
We’ve been living in Maine for three years now. Our house search culminated around this time three years ago when we found our Winterport acreage and perhaps one of the most unique A-frame layouts imaginable (that’s three stories, with second and third story lofts). We put Pennsylvania Amish country, which is itself a unique place
In between this Memorial Day and the last, a former soldier with the 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry and a veteran of our 2008-2009 OIF mobilization, walked downstairs in his parents’ home, where his mother was eating breakfast, and put a gun to his head. His last words were, “I am in so much pain,” before
Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor was fortunate to host Dr. Amy K. Milligan, Batten Endowed Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s Studies and director of the Institute For Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, as our scholar-in-residence this weekend. Leah and Amy met at their alma mater, Elizabethtown College. Amy did considerable research at Degel
Yesterday, and I will not identify my unit because I don’t want to make this specifically about my chain of command, our company commander asked our first formation what anniversary falls on May the 4th. Given our upcoming training, an internal groan started in the pit of my stomach as I realized where this was
The shooting this past Shabbos at a Chabad shul near San Diego is a harsh reminder of the reality we now inhabit. I’m not a security “expert.” I’ve been in the military for over two decades, as an infantryman, and I worked as a civilian for nearly a decade for a security products manufacturer. I
I ended Part I talking about the low personal worth many veterans struggling with moral injury suffer. Just as you are often told you go from “zero to hero” when you enlist or commission, you go from “hero to zero” in a manner I would equate with driving a car into a concrete wall when
Writer, President of Bangor's Congregation Beth Israel, retired soldier, programmer, father, musician, Heeb, living in the woods of Maine with three ladies and a dog. Brian is also a rabbinical student with the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary.
Director of Education for Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine, runs joint religious school with our sister congregation, special educator and former school board member, mother to Avi and Nezzie.
