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!
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, April 15, 2025
My favorite line from the Passover story is one that is met with little fanfare. We cannot find it in the Haggadah and it receives minimal attention each year when its parashah arrives. When Moses, leading the Israelites out of Egypt, finds himself facing the Sea of Reeds with Pharaoh’s army bearing down upon Israel, he cries out to God for help. God’s reply is simply astonishing: “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to get going!” (Exodus 14:15). God’s reply challenges Moses to stop worrying and start moving by taking that first step into the unknown. Without those first steps, redemption remains firmly out of reach. God's directive to Moses emphasizes the need for human initiative to achieve Divine goals. It teaches us that we must be proactive; that we must take the first step even when the odds seem impossible to overcome. Miracles begin with us. They require [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, April 14, 2025
As a child, after days of helping my grandmother clean and watching her cook with that sacred determination that only a Jewish grandmother can possess, we would finally gather around the seder table—where my grandparents, both gifted storytellers, led joyful, musical seders filled with guests from all walks of their lives. Just as the candles were lit and the first glasses of wine were poured, my grandfather would lean forward with that familiar twinkle in his eye and ask, “Nu, if you were leaving Egypt tonight, what would you take with you?” He asked it every year, and every year, we’d give new answers—beloved books, old family photos, the best Legos that my brother and I cherished. I think now, as I prepare for Passover myself, how that simple question held such depth; it was a child’s game but also a spiritual challenge. This holiday asks us to imagine [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, April 11, 2025
“I think this year there is one question and one question only: Why are they still there?” —Rachel Goldberg, mother of slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin (may his memory be a blessing) As we prepare for our Passover seders this year, many of us may have come across these words, heard on Dan Senor’s Call Me Back podcast, spoken by one of the most well-known bereaved mothers of those stolen from their homes on October 7, 2023. On behalf of Rachel, her husband Jon, and the families of the 59 hostages who remain in bondage in Gaza—some dead, but many certainly still alive—this is the question we must confront as we gather around our holiday tables. After more than 550 days of captivity; unimaginable suffering, bloodshed, grief among families on both sides of this terrible conflict; failures of leadership; missed opportunities; and tragic mistakes, we face a question both heartbreakingly simple and enormously [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, April 10, 2025
There is an email letter being circulated among Jewish clergy inviting us to affirm a list of ten beliefs that reflect our understanding of what makes us uniquely Jewish and American. Given the considerable discord over some basic values in our country, I thought it would be meaningful to share this list with you. Not because I expect all to agree with them, but rather as a way of inviting reflection about your own core values and the extent to which certain Jewish principles might influence your own world view. I’ll share their values with you over the next several days as a reminder of some core beliefs that continue to guide a wide diversity of our Jewish spiritual leaders. I’ve grouped them under broad topics and included references that the authors believe inform these principles. Securing the Next Generations We believe in respecting and caring for our world, [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, April 9, 2025
There is an email letter being circulated among Jewish clergy inviting us to affirm a list of ten beliefs that reflect our understanding of what makes us uniquely Jewish and American. Given the considerable discord over some basic values in our country, I thought it would be meaningful to share this list with you. Not because I expect all to agree with them, but rather as a way of inviting reflection about your own core values and the extent to which certain Jewish principles might influence your own world view. I’ll share their values with you over the next several days as a reminder of some core beliefs that continue to guide a wide diversity of our Jewish spiritual leaders. I’ve grouped them under broad topics and included references that the authors believe inform these principles.Integrity in Our Business and Personal FinanceWe believe in fairness in business and all transactions: [...]