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, March 24, 2025
Advice for Life: A Surprise Encounter The two young men standing on my front porch wore identical clothing: black slacks and white dress shirt. Alerted by the ring of the doorbell, I approached them with a bit of caution. With the exception of UPS, Amazon, etc., it’s rare to have strangers come to our doors. A closer look suggested they were either Mormon or Chabad-Lubavitch representatives. Less than ten seconds into our conversation, it was clear they were Chabad. They were knocking on doors with a mezuzah to share information about a six-session class at the local Chabad. While I have encountered Chabad on a number of occasions, including some discussions with Chabad rabbis, I never seriously studied their ideas. While aware of our differences, I have also appreciated the joy they find in Judaism and that they have inspired many to lead more active Jewish lives. I enrolled. The [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, March 21, 2025
Last week, my wife, Jacqueline, and I visited our youngest daughter, Naomi, in Paris, where she is studying for the semester. We had the opportunity to spend time with her friends, hear about her courses, visit museums together, and enjoy wonderful meals—including the best soufflé we have ever tasted. On Thursday evening, we joined the Communauté Juive Libérale in Paris for the reading of the megillah, the story of our People’s miraculous deliverance. The congregation was packed with members and guests of all ages who had come together to celebrate Purim. (Their Purim spiel was, to our surprise, Old Western-themed, replete with cowboy hats and toy handguns.) As we were leaving the synagogue, I noticed a stack of promotional flyers for the upcoming 25th Israel Film Festival in Paris. I took one to show to our daughter. Later on at dinner, something unexpected happened. As soon as we sat down, our Jewish [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, March 20, 2025
As we move from Purim towards Pesach, the rest of this week’s Daily Kavanot will focus on 3 of the special Shabbatot that link these holidays. Some have already passed on the calendar, and some are yet to come. In the opening of its tractate called Rosh HaShanah, the Mishnah lists the four “new years” marked on the ancient calendar; in addition to Rosh Hashanah, we have 1) the New Year for the tithes on the 1st of Elul, the New Year for the trees on the 1st (though later the 15th, Tu) of Shevat, and—most importantly for today—the New Year for the festivals—the 1st of Nisan. As confusing as it is, Nisan is the first month of the year; Tishrei, when we celebrate Rosh HaShanah, is the seventh. In fact, there used to be communities in which wishes for the new year were exchanged on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the first day of [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, March 19, 2025
As we move from Purim towards Pesach, the rest of this week’s Daily Kavanot will focus on 3 of the special Shabbatot that link these holidays. Some have already passed on the calendar, and some are yet to come. While we declare each Shabbat morning that Torah will come from Zion, God’s word from Jerusalem, it is apparently possible that a key element of Biblical ritual purification will come from Texas—and be cared for by a retired Indiana farmer. In 2022, 5 red heifers arrived in Israel, and have since been cared for in the settlement of Shiloh. As is almost always the case when Israel proclaims the birth or existence of a red heifer (it happens more than one might think), several have already been disqualified—they do not possess all of the characteristics needed for their spiritual purpose. This Shabbat, the 3rd of the 4 (or five, depending [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, March 18, 2025
As we move from Purim towards Pesach, the rest of this week’s Daily Kavanot will focus on 3 of the special Shabbatot that link these holidays. Some have already passed on the calendar, and some are yet to come. Not even two weeks ago, I was in an Israeli synagogue for Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat that immediately precedes Purim each year. Shabbat Zachor literally means the Shabbat of Remembrance, but is actually named for the maftir, the additional reading for the day. This maftir retells the story of the battle the ancient Israelites fought against Amalek when they left Egypt and were traveling toward Mount Sinai, and we are commanded to remember Amalek. Amalek is a nation, a nomadic tribe, who attacks the Israelites as they are wandering in the desert—allegedly soon after the exodus from Egypt. On the surface, nothing about this would be unusual enough to spark attention, much less [...]