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 – Wednesday, May 1, 2024
A week ago this morning I rolled out of bed, kissed my husband good morning, prepared breakfast for our daughters, and turned to my phone to check in with the rest of the world. I felt both devastation and hope as I read the headlines about Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American hostage, being forced to make a video for Pesach as part of Hamas’ game of psychological warfare. It was heartbreaking to see Hersh’s fragile arm after his hand was blown off during the Hamas attack at the Nova Festival on October 7th and to witness the clear deterioration of his health. And still, I felt a deep pang of prayerful optimism just seeing him alive. I didn’t watch the video, but I stared at photos of Hersh for a long time that morning. The range of emotions we feel, this intense combination of relief at seeing Hersh alive and the [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Today marks the eighth and final day of Passover. In Israel and in most Reform communities, many Jews only observe seven days of the festival. Interestingly enough, the year I lived in Israel, Passover ended on Friday evening, so everyone spent an additional day observing the holiday simply because we couldn’t purchase any chametz until the end of Shabbat! Whatever your minhag (practice), however many days you observe, I hope that it was a beautiful holiday filled with enriching seders, conversation, company, and reflection. Today is also the seventh day of the counting of the Omer, the seven week period between Passover and Shavuot. Each week represents one spiritual quality and each day is also assigned its own divine characteristic. As we wrap up this first week of counting, which is associated with חֶסֶד chesed (goodness or kindness), this seventh day is מַלְכוּת malchut (majesty). To me, this day represents the highest and richest kindness [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, April 29, 2024
Why Do We Tell This Story?The seder does end in the Promised Land. Time and again, I come back to this. It is a choice, made by our Sages millennia ago, to end our seder short of its goal; to end the seder in the wilderness and the wandering. It is the choice that, maybe this year especially, feels poignant and profound.Last summer, I had the incredible gift of bringing my children—then 9 and 6—to Israel. Both graduates of our Aaron Milken Center Hebrew Immersion program, I wanted them to hear the sounds of Israel all around them. I wanted them to see the sights they had “visited” in Wise School Yom HaAtzmaut celebrations. I wanted them to fall in love with Israel—its history and its vibrancy. I wanted them—through the corridors of the shuk and the spectacular beaches and the Saturday night protests for democracy and the twice-daily ice cream—to see Israel as a miracle, not despite [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, April 26, 2024
Ba'avur Zeh: On Sacred Purpose וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ And you shall explain to your child on that day, ‘It is ba’avor zeh that God brought me out of Egypt.’ (Exodus 13:8) This source text of our Haggadah points to the purpose not just of this holiday, but arguably of Jewish life more broadly. Much could be said about the act of imagination required to fulfill this commandment. We are to tell our children in our day that God parted the sea and liberated us from Egyptian bondage, even though it was, of course, actually our ancestors from 100 generations ago who experienced the miracle firsthand. I want to focus this year on two words that I chose intentionally not to translate in the verse above. In the context of the sentence, those words (ba’avur zeh) probably mean, “for this reason.” It seems to refer back to [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, April 25, 2024
In Praise of Curiosity חכם מה הוא אומר, מה העדות והחקים והמשפטים אשר צוה ה' אלהינו אותנו What does the Wise [child say]? What are the testimonies and the laws and the statutes that Adonai, our God, has commanded us? (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Ismael, Pischa 18) The retelling of the Passover story at our seders begins with someone, typically the youngest child, asking the four questions. Often, we ascribe this tradition to the simple act of keeping children active and engaged with the seder, but there may be more than meets the eye to this custom. The Passover seder includes the midrashic tale of four children, one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who cannot ask, each with their own inquiry at the seder. The wise child begins by asking about all the exposition, rituals, and rules of the seder. When children ask the four questions, they imitate the [...]