Wise Words
Writings of reflection by the Stephen Wise Temple clergy.
Each Monday morning, members of our mailing list receive the weekly email “This Week at Wise,” and on Fridays, a “Shabbat Shalom” email from Rabbi Yoshi which include messages of thought, inspiration, and contemplation from our clergy, along with a schedule of events. Sign up and don’t miss out!
Wise Words – Monday, August 18, 2025
On occasion, a profound message is communicated in a seemingly trivial piece of information. Our Torah reading this week offers such a message.Consider the difference between the first two houses of worship for our people.When the Israelites were travelling through the desert on their way to the Promised Land of Israel, they were instructed to build a Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary, a temporary place to worship that accompanied them on the journey. It is a tent-like structure, significant for it is the dwelling place of God.However, in our Torah portion this week, R’eihe’eh, Moses tells the Israelites that when they arrive in Israel, they are to create a center and permanent temple. Known as the Holy Temple, it is to be built on “the place that God will choose” (Deuteronomy 12:5). It comes to fruition when, in 957 BCE, King Solomon erected The Holy Temple (also known as The First Temple) in Jerusalem, [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, August 15, 2025
“God has forsaken me!”It’s not from a headline in The Times of Israel. It’s not the words of a family member of the hostages at the weekly vigil in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv. It’s the opening line of this week’s haftarah from the book of Isaiah, written some 2,500 years ago.The context is one of loss, dislocation, and exile. Our ancient ancestors were still reeling from the destruction of the First Temple, along with the bloodshed and terror that came with it. Composed sometime after that catastrophe, Isaiah’s words fit our moment with disturbing precision.It’s a heartbreaking cry—one that feels urgently, even tragically, relevant right now:Our Israeli brothers and sisters today are traumatized by a terrible war—679 days and counting. Hostages languish in captivity as the clock ticks relentlessly, time running out for them. The humanitarian needs in Gaza remain urgent and heartbreaking. The sense of our being abandoned—by the world, and perhaps by heaven itself—feels overwhelming.I find inspiration in Isaiah’s ancient words. He refuses [...]
Wise Words – Monday, August 11, 2025
I don’t know about you, but I feel like ‘tis the season for out of office replies and family vacation photos. Kids are coming home from camp, school has yet to begin, and the end of summer Fridays is on the horizon—but not here yet. I spoke on Shabbat Hazon (the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av - sermon linked below) about liminality, and on both the academic and spiritual calendars, we are still there. Spiritually, emotionally, seasonally—we’re in that strange summer drift. We’re post–Tisha B’Av, but not quite in Elul mode. It’s like Jewish liturgical jet lag: we packed up the sackcloth and ashes, but haven’t unpacked the shofar yet. These weeks between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah are known as the Shivah D’Nechemta, the 7 Weeks of Consolation, and each Shabbat we read a selection from the Book of Isaiah; these words, from the latter half of the Book of [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, August 8, 2025
They are often the first Hebrew words learned by Jewish children, and traditionally the last ones uttered as one approaches the end of life:שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ ה׳ ׀ אֶחָֽד׃Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!Hear O Israel, the ETERNAL is your God, the ETERNAL is one! (Deut. 6:4)These words from this week’s Torah portion, Va’etchanan, begin with a not-so-obvious command. Before we can speak of God’s oneness or affirm our faith, we are asked to listen—with heart, with intention, and with humility.The imperative to listen is a throughline in our tradition.The prophet Elijah famously sought God in wind, earthquake, and fire—but only discovered the Divine in a “still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:12). Sometimes, it’s only in quietness—in giving another our full, undivided attention—that we encounter holiness.The Mishnah teaches that one of the essential ways we acquire Torah–the task our sages privilege above all others–is through sh’miʿat ha’ozen (בִּשְׁמִיעַת הָאֹזֶן), attentive listening (Pirkei Avot 6:6).Listening [...]
Wise Words – Monday, August 4, 2025
I first encountered Tisha b’Av at Jewish summer camp. There, surrounded by my peers and the counselors we adored, we re-enacted the Warsaw ghetto uprising, were roused from our beds and forced to submit to the orders of “soldiers” in a cruel role play of the World War II roundups of Jews (an educational technique that is now, thankfully, prohibited), and we read Night by Elie Wiesel in an attempt to grasp the suffering of our people. (Though Tisha b’Av’s observance was instituted before these events, at camp they were central.) Then at the close of the day, our camps always incorporated a celebration of Israel with waving blue and white flags and the dramatic ignition of a Magen David shaped fire sign crafted by our Israeli counselors. Something that was emblematic at Jewish camps east of the Mississippi, though illegal in the Western states, for obvious reasons. The message was clear: [...]