Daily Kavanot
Writings of reflection by the Stephen Wise Temple clergy.
Each weekday morning, members of our mailing list receive the “Daily Kavanah,” which includes messages of thought, inspiration, and contemplation from our clergy, along with a schedule of events. Every Thursday, the “Daily Kavanah” turns into “Eyes on Wise,” our weekly newsletter featuring the latest news, photos, videos, stories, and tikkun olam opportunities from our community. Sign up and don’t miss out!
Daily Kavanah – Monday, July 7 2025
I admit that my phone is often—always?—buzzing with news alerts out of Israel. Earlier this summer, of course, I was getting the same alerts as my Israeli friends of missiles overhead—only I did not need to run to a shelter. Far too often, we are still seeing the words: Permitted to announce, which always precedes the name of a young soldier killed, usually in Gaza. Sometimes, the alerts are more lighthearted, a quick weather update, news of a reality star, or—of course—soccer scores. But, I did not have these apps in 2016, and so I missed this bit of archaeological news. The headlines read: Archaeologists find battle site where Romans breached Jerusalem walls, followed by the subheader: “Discovery confirms Josephus’s account of the conflict that saw destruction of Second Temple nearly 2,000 years ago,” says Israeli Antiquities Authority. On Sunday (July 13), Jews around the world will observe the minor fast [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, July 4 2025
Shabbat Shalom, Today marks 249 years of our independence as a nation.] We give thanks for the blessings of freedom, and we reflect on the founding ideals that have shaped America—ideals of liberty, justice, and equality. For the Jewish community, one of the most powerful expressions of these principles came in 1790, when President George Washington wrote his historic letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, affirming what was then—and remains now—a revolutionary idea: that in America, religious liberty is not a favor granted to minorities, but a natural right guaranteed to all. He wrote: “It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.” And most famously: “The Government of the United States… gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” For generations, American Jews [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, June 30 2025
A Patriot Grows Up In MorristownI grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, which is most famous as the military capital of the American Revolution. The photo of the colonial era white building was George Washington’s military Headquarters which I passed almost daily. Not far from my home we’d hike, sled, and party near Jockey Hollow which had reconstructed barracks used by the American Colonial Army.I attended Morristown High School, pictured in all its boring mid-century glory, above. Our school’s mascot was the “Colonials,” and we’d often wear the Revolutionary three-cornered hats to football games. We were drawn to Morristown because my mother’s family, the Mintzes, had long established ties to the region. My uncles were a doctor, a judge, and a realtor in town. The photo of the building with the green dome is the Morristown Jewish Center where [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, June 27 2025
Shabbat Shalom, Last night I had a beautiful—and disturbing—dream, one I don’t think I would have had a few years ago. In the dream, I was moving from one dorm room to another on a university campus. As I carried my things down the hall, a student I didn’t know emerged from a nearby room. He greeted me, and by his accent, I could tell he was Israeli. I spoke to him in Hebrew. His face lit up. I made sure he saw the necklace I wear for the hostages. The piece of tape I keep over my heart, counting the days they’ve been held in captivity. My Israeli flag shoes. He smiled—broadly—and then threw his arms around me in a warm embrace. Earlier in the evening, in real life, Jacqueline and I met our cousin for dinner in Calabasas. At the ice cream shop afterward, a middle-school aged boy came up to me [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, June 23 2025
In this week’s parashah, we read about Korach’s rebellion—a tale of rebellion often reduced to the arrogance of a single man. But we find that when God learns of Korach’s challenge to Moses’ and Aaron’s authority, Divine wrath is not reserved for Korach alone, but for the entire Israelite community. “Stand back from this community, that I may annihilate them in an instant” (Numbers 16:21). Though Moses and Aaron quickly excuse the people to deal with Korach, God’s threat to annihilate Israel reminds us of the importance of demonstrating our fidelity to our faith and its precepts. Because the Israelites remained silent in the face of rebellion, they nearly perished. By failing to publicly stand by Moses and Aaron as Korach threatened their leadership, they provided Korach with the opening he needed to stage his insurgence. Judaism is a faith not only of belief, but of visible, public responsibility. [...]