Lighten Up! Yom Kippur 2016/5777
A story.
A man got lost in a forest. He tried his best to find his way out but he couldn’t. As night
fell, he was growing desperate. Suddenly he spotted a light in the distance. He started
walking towards it. As he got closer he saw it was a man carrying a lantern. He was so
relieved, certain that his troubles were over. He approached the man and said, “I was
lost, but thank God I found you.” The man with the lantern responded with a voice filled
with pity, “I’m so sorry, but I’m lost too. But don’t worry. You know where you’ve
looked for a way out, and I know where I’ve looked. Together we have a much better
chance of finding our way home.
They started walking while the man tried to console himself that he wasn’t yet out of
the woods. And then he noticed something strange about the man with the lantern –
his eyes were closed. He cried out, “Are you blind??” “Yes,” said the man with the
lantern. “So why do you need a lantern?” “The lantern isn’t for me”, he replied, “I carry
it not so that I can see, but so that others can see me.”
To read more of Rabbi Lewittes'
Yom Kippur teaching
please click here.
A Sanctuary of Mirrors -
Rosh Hashanah 2016/5777
Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world, arrives this year as we continue to feel
besieged by urgent issues: Daily acts of terrorism – in Israel, abroad, here at home.
The ugly resurgence of Anti-Semitism. 65 million refugees wandering for a safe place
to live. The growth of xenophobic, right-wing ideology here and throughout the
world. A stalled peace process with the Palestinians and almost 2/3 of Israelis
believing peace will never come. A violent, unstable culture of race relations in this
country. A toxic and vitriolic election cycle here that has become a source of shame in
our families and communities, and around the world. The loss of some of our most
precious moral compasses like Elie Wiesel and Shimon Peres, z”l.
To read more of Rabbi Lewittes' Rosh Hashanah teaching please click here.
Rabbi Dini Lewittes and Lisa Kasdan on vocals and Dan Nadel on guitar have created the Sha'ar Shirah (Gate of Song) album recorded and mixed by David Abrams. The album is filled with music for the High Holy Days and some of our regular favorites such as Oseh Shalom, Lu Yehi and B'sheym Hashem. Click here to listen to the tracks or download songs.
