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 24, 2023
In rabbinic tradition, Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. In this week leading up to the festival (it begins on Thursday night; join us to celebrate with worship and cheesecake on Friday night and/or Saturday morning), let’s explore some classical and modern imaginations of the moment itself. A couple of months ago, I had the incredible honor of being invited to sit in a room with some of the smartest people I know. Invited by Professor Joseph Skloot of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, with support from Rabbi Amy and Gary Perlin, I was part of a group brought together not only to discuss the Reform Movement of today, but—more importantly—the Reform Movement of tomorrow. Gathered with incredible thinkers and teachers from across the Reform Movement—rabbis and cantors and educators, HUC professors and administrators—we focused on central ideas and tenets of Jewish thought—including [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, May 23, 2023
In rabbinic tradition, Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. In this week leading up to the festival (it begins on Thursday night; join us to celebrate with worship and cheesecake on Friday night and/or Saturday morning), let’s explore some classical and modern imaginations of the moment itself. I see numbers in colors, which is one of the more common forms of synesthesia. For me, three is a sunny yellow, four is bright red, five is a brilliant green, six is pale blue, seven is royal blue, eight is muddy brown, and so on. I do Sudoku puzzles by colors, not by the shapes of numbers. I remember phone numbers by colors, too. If the colors go together, I’ll never forget the number. If they clash, it’s almost impossible to recall. When I went to my hometown, Ann Arbor, for my thirtieth high-school reunion, I picked [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, May 22, 2023
In rabbinic tradition, Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. In this week leading up to the festival (it begins on Thursday night; join us to celebrate with worship and cheesecake on Friday night and/or Saturday morning), let's explore some classical and modern imaginations of the moment itself. In addition to being Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month, May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, and so I want to begin this week with one of my favorite books on mental health and emotional intelligence. Written not by a psychiatrist or a therapist, not a memoir or a novel—though I have read plenty of those—this one is a rhyming board book by Dr. Seuss, published posthumously after the quest for the right illustrators was found. Entitled "My Many Colored Days," it is not the whimsical rhyme and made-up words you [...]
Daily Kavanah – Shabbat Message From Cantor Emma Lutz – Friday, May 19, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCIfOqIQNOE Today is Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, when we commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem following the Six Day War in 1967. Today, throughout Israel, there will be a variety of state celebrations and memorials for those who gave their lives to make this reunification possible. Perhaps most significantly—if not famously—the reunification of Israel allowed for Jews to once again access the Western Wall, our holiest site of communal prayer. Some of my earliest memories are related to Jerusalem: mystical stories told in Hebrew School and at the synagogue about this sacred place, family lore about how my dad’s Bar Mitzvah was almost canceled because it was the week of the Six Day War (thankfully, the war ended before Shabbat and my dad and his family were able to celebrate), and a place that—for me—always held (and still holds) great potential for peace, understanding, and hope, even amidst centuries [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, May 18, 2023
There is an old unwritten rule in Jewish tradition that if you make three successful shidduchim, three matches of people with their spouse, that you will be able to enter the highest level of the world to come. God, of course, was the first matchmaker in our Torah, introducing Adam and Eve, and if we are truly b'tzelem Elohim, created in the image of God, then we all have the potential to be matchmakers ourselves. Whether you believe in a literal world to come or the fundamentals of the creation story or not, it certainly is a nice feeling to help people hit it off, and at the very best, to aid two souls in meeting their match. Although Adam and I met on the first day of our rabbinical and cantorial program in Jerusalem in 2011, we actually have a dear friend and classmate who sent us pictures [...]