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, June 7, 2023
There is a strange ritual detailed in last week’s Torah portion, called the Sotah. It seeks to allay the concerns of a jealous husband by proving the innocence or guilt of the wife he suspects of adultery. (Read an analysis here.) Under the guidance of the Kohan, the woman drinks a special concoction mixed from the dust of the Tabernacle’s floor as the priest recites an incantation. If she’s innocent, she goes home cleansed of guilt; if she’s guilty, the Torah says that her thighs will sag and her belly distend. Given the exceedingly low probability of that happening solely as a result of drinking the mixture, it’s more than likely that she’ll be sent home to her husband exonerated. Now, from a modern perspective, there are countless issues with this practice, chief among them that there is no equivalent ritual to prove a man’s innocence or guilt. Scholars [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, June 6, 2023
This weekend, marchers in Tel Aviv's Pride Parade will mostly be greeted by cheering throngs of allies who will join them on the route, dance along, or just smile and nod as they pass by. Though Tel Aviv is one of the most gay-friendly cities on the planet, it is quite another matter in Jerusalem. Though the Jerusalem police force has promised 2,000 officers—out in force—to protect the marchers in its Pride Parade, their intolerant opponents have threatened fierce resistance. Two of the most strident antagonists of LGBTQ+ rights in Israel now serve in the current government: Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir have been among those advocating protests against the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the past and have been associated with an anti-LGBTQ+ organization called Lehava. Over the years, there have been incidents of rock throwing, shouting of slurs, and, in 2015, an activist killed a 16-year-old [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, June 5, 2023
Way back in 1985, during my first year of rabbinical school, the president of Hebrew Union College addressed our class in Jerusalem as we spent our first year in Israel. I don't remember much of what he said except for his most shocking—and proudly-stated—assertion: "There are no gay students at Hebrew Union College." I looked to my left at the lesbian woman living with her partner, to my right at the gay man living with his partner, and wondered what it must feel like for them to be so invisible. I watched their stoic faces, unresponsive in the face of this influential man’s dismissal of their identities. Other than a bit of snickering over the president's ignorance and intentional blindness, we had no concept of what else we might do in support of our gay classmates and friends. We also failed to realize the painful irony in that this [...]
Daily Kavanah – Shabbat Message From Rabbi Yoshi – Friday, June 2, 2023
This week’s Torah portion includes 15 of the most well-known and well-loved words in the entire Torah, words that parents use to bless their children on Friday evenings as Shabbat arrives, words that rabbis and cantors use from the pulpit to bless b’nai mitzvah and conclude worship services: May God bless you and keep you, Be gracious unto you, And grant you peace. יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְיָ וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ יָאֵ֨ר יְיָ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃ יִשָּׂ֨א יְיָ פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ A few years ago, during the darkest days of the pandemic, I found great comfort not only in words like these from our beautiful tradition, but also through the practice of meditation taught to me by my instructors at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. In my favorite practice—"Befriending Meditation"—the guide asks us—the participants—to think of ourselves, those we love, and even those with whom we are experiencing difficult interactions and wish for ourselves and [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, June 1, 2023
We are in the season of graduations. This week Rabbi Woznica shares some messages to graduates. The Problem of Good Intentions Dear Graduate, Author and businessman Stephen Covey wrote, "We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior." As a result, when we do something that ends up being harmful, we rationalize by thinking "we meant well." And yet, the adage is true; the road to hell is paved with good intentions. If intentions can lead to "hell," what should be the path to goodness? The key is to gain wisdom. I've heard it said: Wisdom is asking, “What does good?” not, “What is well-intentioned?” In other words, wisdom presses us to ask, "What will result from a given personal action or policy?" One can have good intentions; indeed, one can be a nice, decent, civilized person and do great harm. As a graduate, you undoubtedly have more [...]